A Succubus' Tales: The One About Rebirth
by Weirdo-Girly
Summary: Sequel to "Freedom"; Lauren is murdered by The Morrigan and Nadia, but brought back to life by Ciara, who performs a centuries-old ritual on her that's gonna change the good doctor forever - Bo has to wonder if it also changed Lauren's feelings for her.
1. Start

"Let me get this straight," The Morrigan drawled while she leaned forward in her office chair, supporting herself on both forearms. "You want me to help you either to get Lauren back or to kill her? And in return for my _assistance_, you offer me your complete servitude?

"Exactly," Nadia confirmed. "Lauren told me that humans are of great use to Fae, aren't they?"

The Morrigan would have laughed at the human if an idea had not struck her at that same moment. Bo had proven that she was willing to do anything for the doctor as she loved her unconditionally. To play with Lauren's life would open up new possibilities. If it was in danger, then maybe the succubus would turn to The Dark once more in the hopes that The Morrigan would tell her how to save it.

And if Lauren died, then maybe Bo would break down mentally and Evony would be able to lure her into a trap, making the succubus believe that as Dark Fae she would have the ability to revive Lauren. That Bo had broken one of the most important Fae rules, to never fall in love with a human, was the best thing that could have happened. The Morrigan would make full use of Bo's feelings.

"All right." Evony nodded, a venomous smile on her face. "Deal!"

* * *

><p>Lauren Lewis was lounging on the couch, zapping from one TV channel to another and trying to kill time. Bo and Kenzi had gone to meet up with Dyson and Hale, who needed help on a case. The detectives were still hunting for Nadia with great zeal, but to no effect yet. It was as if the earth had swallowed her up.<p>

Yawning, the doctor got up and went over to the fridge to fetch herself a bottle of mineral water. She had moved into the clubhouse only a month ago. It felt more like home to her than her own house ever had, though. The old Ash had given it to her as a present, always reminding her of what she had lost forever. She was glad to be finally out of there.

The one thing Lauren missed was the lab, _her _lab. She loved science, and found herself to be a little bored without a microscope and some Petri dishes around. As Bo and Kenzi had noticed, the Russian girl had suggested buying a chemistry set for fun. But after Lauren had told them that she had actually managed to demolish a wall in her parents' home with such a set when she was ten years old, Bo had dismissed the idea on the grounds that their house was missing enough walls already.

A knock at the door caught her attention; probably Kiara, who had come here to ask her to coffee. The two women had become friends quite quickly over the last few weeks, often hanging out together while Dyson, Hale, Bo and Kenzi were investigating.

Lauren put down the bottle and went to answer the door, nearly fainting as she peered through the spyhole and spotted Nadia. Remembering the last time her ex-girlfriend had stood on her doorstep, Lauren stole away from the door, reaching for her cellphone. About to dial Bo's number, she heard Nadia's hushed voice say, "Lauren, I know for sure you're there. I'm so very sorry about what happened. Please, listen to me!"

"Give me just one good reason," the doctor shouted without thinking. "You better make a run for it! The second I call Bo and tell her that you're here, she and Kenzi are gonna hit the road and knock you down once they arrive."

She mentally scolded herself for revealing that she was home alone to Nadia for a moment, but then again, she had most likely been watching the clubhouse, waiting for the succubus and the girl to leave. Nadia would certainly not forget Bo's outburst of rage in a hurry.

"Please," Nadia begged, bumping against the door desperately. "I promise you, I'll get out of your life for good if you just listen to me. A few minutes only. I want to apologize to you. Lauren, for old times' sake. You once loved me."

Swallowing audibly hard, Lauren lowered the phone. It was true enough, but Nadia had held her at gunpoint and would have raped her if Bo hadn't shown up. There was no excuse for something like that. And what if Nadia was lying with the aim to finish what she had started back then? "Nadia, go away!"

Nadia was weeping bitterly by now, Lauren feeling pity for her against the doctor's own will. She knew that people did the most horrible things out of desperation, and her ex-girlfriend had been in despair. Added to this, she presumably hadn't slept but had gotten drunk the night she had come back to Lauren's place. Nadia was not a bad person.

"What more do you have to say, Nadia?" Lauren gave in. "You already told me you're sorry."

"I want to look you in the eye, Lauren," Nadia replied sobbing. "Please!"

The doctor shook her head, even though her ex-girlfriend couldn't see it. "Let me guess, I open the door and have a gun pointed at me."

"No!" The tone in Nadia's voice was frantic. "I don't know how I could do that, how I could do such a thing to you! Lauren, I never meant to hurt you! Open the door, please!"

For whatever reason, Lauren walked over to the door again and looked through the spyhole a second time. Nadia was dressed in a pair of low-rise jeans and a simple black T-shirt; there was no way for her to hide a gun under those clothes. Lauren must have had a devil in her as she opened the door, telling her ex-girlfriend to come in.

Lauren followed her into the living room warily, watching Nadia's every step. "I'm listening?" she eventually snarled, trying to convey the impression that she had the upper hand over the situation. "Say what you wanna say and then leave. Make it quick. Bo and Kenzi will be home at any moment." She was surprised at the harshness in her voice and it made Nadia cringe.

"I'm so deeply sorry for what I did to you," Nadia whined, fixing her gaze on Lauren. "I just wasn't able to cope with everything, Lauren. I wake up, thinking we're still in the damn Congo, and suddenly you tell me that I've been in coma for five years." She took in a shaky breath. "I felt so insecure and lonely and... And when I saw you with Bo, I lost my head. I didn't mean for it to happen."

Trying hard to not show any kind of emotion, the doctor only huffed. In fact, her ex-girlfriend's misery got under Lauren skin, bringing feelings back to life inside of her Nadia had actually killed that fateful morning a month ago. Lauren wished that they had never met, for both their sakes. She cleared her throat. "And now you expect me to simply forgive you?"

"No," the other woman answered and wiped away her tears. "I don't want your forgiveness for the simple reason that I don't deserve it. I wanted to see you one last time before I would leave forever, and express my regret for hurting you. I wish you and Bo all the best. Bye, Lauren."

Nadia turned to leave, but Lauren stopped her by asking, "Where will you go?"

"I don't know yet." Nadia shrugged snuffing. "I've got a business card from an artist and ten bucks in my pocket. Have to see what can be done out of it."

Lauren sighed heavily. "I'll give you some money."

As Nadia wanted to refuse the offer, the doctor simply told her to shut up and to wait for her. Lauren then went upstairs to Bo's bedroom, which was also hers now, and took out a chest from under the bed. Aside from a pile of money The old Ash had supplied her with over the years, it contained all leftovers from her old life: an old friendship bracelet, a brilliant ring Lauren's grandmother had bequeathed to her, a jackknife her father had given to her when she had told her parents she would go to the Congo, a letter her mother had written to her after a heated quarrel between them and a picture of her sister and herself.

She grabbed a wad of cash and returned to the living room where Nadia was standing on the same spot as before. The doctor handed the money to her wordlessly, Nadia thanking her sincerely. "Forget about it," Lauren cut her off. "Thank me by never coming back. I'll ask Dyson to let you be."

Nadia nodded slowly, heading for the door. "I'm gonna miss you."

"Good bye, Nadia." Lauren drew a deep breath the second her ex-girlfriend closed the door behind herself. Her heart was beating wildly, her throat dry. Once she saw that the bottle of water was still standing on the kitchen counter, she grabbed it and noted in surprise that it was already open. She didn't care, taking a pull on it.

* * *

><p>"You should have called me!" Bo was pacing around the clubhouse's living room, fighting the urge to throw a chair against the wall. "Instead you even let her in! Are you crazy, Lauren? Tell me, are you?"<p>

Lauren had definitely expected the succubus to get pretty pissy by the time she heard that Nadia had shown up at the clubhouse, but not to lose her temper like this. Kenzi was looking for an 'appropriate weapon' in her room meanwhile. The doctor had given it a serious consideration whether to tell them or not at first. She was done with the secretiveness, though, and had therefore decided to speak the truth. Maybe this had been a mistake.

"Bo," Lauren tried to calm her girlfriend down, "relax. I'm okay. Nadia didn't hurt me."

Since the succubus didn't seem to listen, still running around, Lauren grabbed her wrist, finally getting her to halt. But when Lauren noticed the wild look in Bo's eyes, however, she backed away from her. She had never been scared of the succubus, until now.

Despite the state of rage she was in, Bo realized that she was frightening the doctor, the fact almost breaking her heart. She gave her best to compose her mind, squinching her blazing eyes shut. As a warm hand cupped her left cheek, a thumb caressing her lips, Bo eventually got her senses back. Opening her eyes again, she looked into her girlfriend's beautiful face. "Lauren, I'm sorry," the succubus whispered. "So sor-"

Lauren hushed her softly, wrapping her arms around Bo's waist to hug her tightly. The succubus, emulating her girlfriend's deeds, rested her forehead against the doctor's.

"Looks like I'm the crazy one in this relationship," Bo joked nervously before a sigh fell from her mouth. "It's just that... I don't know what... what I would have done if she... God! Lauren, the thought of you dy... of losing you..."

"You won't lose me, Bo," Lauren assured her, their lips almost touching. "I love you."

A sheepish smile on her face, the succubus replied, "I love you too."

"Okay," Kenzi proclaimed, making her way to the living room, "I've come to a decision; I'm gonna use the baseball bat. It might be a little old-fashioned, but it's still very effective. I'm so gonna hit Nadia's head a country mile, right through my great aunt's window. C'mon, Bo-Bo bear, let's... Oh, I see."

Bo and Lauren were completely occupied with each other, kissing passionately. The doctor was sitting on the kitchen table while Bo was standing between her spread legs, rubbing the insides of Lauren's thighs teasingly slow. Lauren had pushed up Bo's shirt and was now dragging her fingernails over the bare skin of her flat stomach, both moaning ecstatically.

"Well, Bo-Bo bear, we can always go tomorrow."

* * *

><p>When Bo woke up the next morning, the first thing she did was to roll over in bed so that she could spoon Lauren, a content smile on her lips. The doctor had definitely made it up to her last night, kissing and stroking every inch of Bo's body, before the succubus had ravished her in return. Luckily, Lauren had really impressive stamina and was able to keep up with her lover's hunger.<p>

Smiling wickedly, Bo placed a tender kiss on Lauren's shoulder and slid her hand between the doctor's legs. She started playing with Lauren's clit and felt it growing big and hard, and soon her fingers were coated in hot juices. Lauren, half asleep, half awake, pushed her hips against the succubus' skilled hand, groaning loudly, and Bo chuckled huskily as her girlfriend began to tremble and finally came with Bo's names on her lips.

"I wish you good morning as well, babe" the succubus joked while she reatreated her hand.

Lauren, panting for breath, rolled on her back to face the other woman. "You're killing me. You know that?"

Bo smirked smugly at the doctor and wiggled her eyebrows. She became serious, however, when Lauren flinched all of a sudden for no apparent reason. "Hey, are you okay? I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No, you didn't," the doctor quickly answered, massaging her temples. "I just have a vicious headache. Thanks to you I'm probably a bit dehydrated which the body points out by headaches."

"Thanks to me?" Bo raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Well, you're the reason I lost a lot of body fluid last night," Lauren teased her. "You're like a gym machine one can use in bed."

The succubus tried to suppress laughter. "You just know how to make me feel special, babe."

Lauren winked at her, right before she flinched another time. "Could you get me a glass of water, please?"

"Of course!" Bo jumped out of the bed like a shot, not bothering about her nakedness, and jogged downstairs. Only a few seconds later, Lauren could hear Kenzi's voice, "What the fuck, Bo? Has Lauren ripped all your clothes up or is this your way of hitting on me? If so, it won't work, sweetheart!"

Lauren would have liked to laugh, but the stabbing pain in her head didn't let her. It could have been that she suffered from dehydration since the last she had drunk had been that bottle of mineral water several hours ago. The doctor didn't believe this theory, though. Maybe she was simply fighting off a flu. Anyway, there was no need to worry.

* * *

><p><em>A venomous smile on her face, Nadia watched Lauren disappear upstairs; the plan worked like a charm. She quickly grabbed the bottle of water on the kitchen counter and opened it, hoping that Lauren wouldn't think any of it. Pulling the little poison capsule The Morrigan had handed to her out of her pants pocket, Nadia kept an eye out for the doctor.<em>

_"I'm gonna miss you, Lauren," she whispered to her herself and cracked the capsule into the mineral water. After she was done with everything, Nadia positioned herself back on the same spot as before. Seconds later, Lauren returned._


	2. Dying

Bo was sitting at one of the tables in the Dal Riata, head buried in her hands and Kenzi trying to comfort her. She tried her best to keep calm, to not to overreact. After all, Trick had told her that Lauren would recover. The succubus, however, couldn't get the sight of her girlfriend lying motionless on the floor out of her mind.

_"You look really pale, baby," Bo stated worriedly, rubbing soothing circles on Lauren's lower back. "Why don't you go upstairs and lie down? I'll join you in a minute with some tea and chocolate-chip cookies... and maybe a handful of pills."_

_Lauren had to grip the kitchen counter for support, weak in the legs. __"Bo, you don't have to look after me." She nodded towards the couch. "Help Kenzi killing robot hookers. I'll put myself to bed."_

_"You need to let someone else take care of you for once," the succubus replied, rolling her eyes in feigned annoyance, before she wrapped her strong arms loosely around Lauren's slender waist from behind. Her lips brushed the blonde's ear. "Let _me _take care of you, Lauren. I'm not only with you because you know how to give me mind-blowing orgasms, you know." Somehow, Bo's voice turned both vulnerable and firm at once. "I wanna be there for you, no matter what."_

_The doctor couldn't help but smile fondly as her heart swelled with love for the other woman. After five years of being treated like nothing more than a hugely useful but yet replaceable tool, Lauren still had to relearn that it was okay to rely on others every now and then. Turning her head, she nuzzled Bo's cheek lovingly. "You've been there for me since the moment we've met. Without you, I'd proba-"_

_"Listen up," Kenzi suddenly shouted from the couch, "I don't know if our Hotpants is indeed in such bad health or if you two are actually having foreplay over there. Either way, Bo, tuck her in already."_

_"Kenzi the Great has spoken!" Chuckling, Bo finally let go of her girlfriend. "Off to bed with you. Your private nurse will follow in a couple of minutes."_

_"A sexy doctor and a hot nurse... How very cliché of you, guys," Kenzi snorted jokingly, shooting down another hooker. "In your face!"_

_Shaking her head with a grin on her face, Lauren slowly made her way upstairs while Bo searched for a teapot in the chaos they called a kitchen. The doctor was really struggling to walk without collapsing. It had started simply with an instense headache a week ago, since then her physical condition had worsened by the day. Currently, she felt sick and dizzy, and she had to cough a lot, her lungs hurting. All she actually wanted to do was to crawl into a quiet corner and die in peace._

_Lauren had tried hard to hide how ill she was by acting as healthy and normal as possible, but Bo saw thru her facade. Switching into her well established professional doctor mode, Lauren had assured Bo that she was coming down with a cold. She was sure that it was something more, but she wouldn't tell the succubus about it until she knew more about it. Lauren didn't want Bo making a mountain out of what was most likely a molehill. She would consult Trick at the earliest opportunity. Although he did not seem the type of Fae to be medically informed, he most certainly was._

_A huge wave of nausea suddenly overcame the blonde as she reached the bedroom she shared with Bo, black spots dancing in front of her eyes. Instead of crashing onto the bed, however, she turned and dragged herself into the bathroom, intent on getting to cold water._

_"Good night, Kenz," Bo wished her best friend, holding a tray in her hands turning to make her way upstairs.__ "Don't forget to sleep."_

_"Don't forget to give your patient a sponge bath, nurse 'I'll-succu-dry-afterwards'." The girl flinched in surprise as a cookie hit her against the head. "Shit! The damn bitch's got me! Now the world's gonna be destroyed by crazy robot hookers because of you! I hope you're proud of yourself, Bo!"_

_"I'm overcome by joy." The succubus left the living room, laughing. But the feeling of unease within her grew with every step she took, nagging at her mercilessly. When she reached the bedroom and saw that Lauren was not between the sheets, her stomach turned. Quickly setting the tray down, she headed for the bathroom__. "Lauren? Babe?"_

_Then Bo's heartbeat slowed for the blink of an eye, feeling like an eternity to the succubus, right before it started racing like hell.__ Lauren was lying on the floor on her right side beside the bathtub, unmoving. The succubus fell to her knees next to her and checked her pulse, forcing herself to gather her senses. Focusing on the fact that the woman she loved more than life itself was barely breathing was of no help to her; she needed to think clearly and carefully before taking action._

_She couldn't take her to a hospital for Lauren Kirsten Lewis had been declared legally dead about five years ago. It would cause them all a lot of trouble. The Ash or rather his other doctors had cured her in the past, but Bo was doubtful that Lachlan would consent to help them now.__ Maybe The Morrigan would if the succubus promised to do her another favor. Evony would probably demand that Bo join the Dark Fae. If Lauren's condition wasn't as bad as it seemed, then the bargain would be dumb; but if Lauren's condition was as bad as it seemed, then it would be the right decision and worth it._

_"Trick!" Bo shouted out. Hesitating no longer, she picked Lauren up and got moving calling out to Kenzi along the way. __"Kenzi! Car keys! Dal! Quick!"_

_Kenzi heard her best friend's urgent voice and she instantly knew that something was really, really not okay. Turning her head away from the TV, not caring about the hookers anymore, she saw Bo carrying an __unconscious Lauren down the stairs. The doctor was ashen-faced. __"You obviously suck as a nurse, Bo! What the fuck happened? She's still alive?"_

_"Of course!" Bo snapped. She didn't mean to, but it was damn hard for her to stay calm, and Kenzi wasn't helping at all. "I found her lying on the bathroom floor. We'll take her to Trick. You'll have to drive so I can keep an eye on her in the backseat."_

_Kenzi jumped wordlessly up from the couch to get the car keys while Bo checked if Lauren was still breathing. At the car, the girl first opened the rear door for Bo, who got into the backseat without letting go of the doctor, before Kenzi herself hopped into the driver's seat. "Ladies and Gentlemen, fasten your seat belts, please. Things will probably get racy."_

_Bo didn't care for Kenzi's swearing, the honking of other cars or the squeaking sound of tires as they were heading for The Dal. All she cared for at that moment was the woman she was holding in her arms. She had noticed that Lauren was ill, but she hadn't seemed to be _that_ ill. The worst case scenario was already floating around in Bo's head, almost frightening her to death. Bo held her tight and whispered soothing words to her, "You're gonna be okay, babe. Trick'll know what to do. Please just hang in there, Lauren. I need you."_

_"Bo...," Lauren suddenly rasped, stirring. __She opened her eyes slowly; her lids were so heavy.__"Bo, what... Where..."_

_Undescribable relief flooded through the succubus, who hushed her girlfriend softly then. At least, Lauren was responsive again. "__You collapsed. We're taking you to see Trick. He-" _

_"You have to fasten your seat belt, Bo," the doctor gasped. "You're in danger. __Especially since Kenzi's driving... Tell her to stop swearing like a sailor,__ please. It will only distract her... and make her driving worse than it already is. She's endangering you, herself and everyone else on the road."_

_Bo couldn't resist smiling in response. Lauren was the one in immediate danger, yet she was more concerned about everyone else. Typical Lauren.__The succubus caressed Lauren's cheek with her thumb, pulsing the most minimal amount of energy into her. "Don't worry. Just relax and try to take some deep breaths, okay?"_

_"Okay," Lauren, __the ghost of a smile on her face, gave in without objection._

_When Bo entered the Dal holding Lauren - more dead than alive- in her arms and Kenzi in tow__, Trick's first words were, "You're kidding right?"_

_The Blood King told them to take Lauren to the basement then asked the few patrons politely but firmly to leave the bar. Two of them asked casually, and without a shred of guilt, if they could have the body if the 'yummy lady' died. Trick denied their request categorically, relieved that Bo didn't hear them. After clearing the bar, he locked the door and headed to the basement,__ where Bo had laid the doctor down onto the couch. __"What happened?"_

_"She's been feeling unwell for a couple of days," the succubus informed him briefly. "And now she's collapsed. I don't know what's wrong with her. You have to help her, Trick. Please!"_

_He saw the fear in Bo's eyes. She had obviously no clue if Lauren was in a life-threatening condition or if she had simply fallen in a faint, but Bo was apparently expecting the worst to happen.__ After all those things that had happened to them in the recent past, however, he couldn't really blame her for it. __Starting to examine Lauren, Trick tried to calm the succubus down a little at the same time, "Don't freak out, Bo. It won't be that bad. People collapse now and then when they are ill. It's just the body that tells you to... well, to lay down and rest."_

_"He's right," Lauren confirmed weakly. "It has to do with e- Ah!" _

_"Sorry..." The Blood King frowned, knowing now that the palpation of her abdomen was painful for Lauren._

_In the meantime, Bo was shifting from one foot to the other, causing Kenzi to become edgy as well. Now that there was nothing for the succubus left to do, she started to think, and thinking was a bad thing to do at the moment. __"So what's wrong with her? You've been touching her for donkey's years now, barren of results."_

_"Bo," Trick said firmly, "I think that it would be the best if you wait upstairs."_

_The succubus was looking at him like he had just told her that Lauren wouldn't make it. "Are you crazy? I'm not going anywhere!"_

_Kenzi knew it was time for her to intervene; Bo needed someone who prevented her from getting all worked up about Lauren being ill. She laid a hand on the succubus' shoulder, talking insistently to her best friend, "Come on, honey, let's go upstairs, have some shots or something. Trick's gotta concentrate. You're not doing Lauren any favors if you're hurry-scurry and distracting him." _

_That brought Bo back to her senses eventually. She wanted the best for the doctor, even if it meant that she had to leave her alone for now. "Okay, but if... if Lauren... Call for me the second something... _something _happens."_

_"She'll be fine, Bo. I promise."_

_Nodding in defeat, the succubus let herself be led upstairs by Kenzi._

Bo felt like laughing, crying and throwing up, all at the same time. Truth be told, she wasn't even surprised; she and Lauren just couldn't have a peaceful moment. There was always a problem and when it was fixed another would come up in its place. It was as if fate was telling them that they weren't meant to be. But as long as Lauren wanted her to, Bo would accept every challenge to be with her. Fuck fate!

She banged her fist on the table, making Kenzi jump. "Bo, y-"

"Hey, don't you break my furniture," Trick's voice suddenly came from behind them, and both women turned around quickly, spotting the barkeeper and someone else.

"Lauren!"

The doctor still looked anything but healthy, but she was back on her feet at least, smiling weakly at them. "I'm really sorry I worried you, guys."

Bo jumped up from the chair and walked over to her girlfriend rather stiffly. Lauren was unsure if she would slap her now and yell at her. Indeed, the succubus would have liked to hit her, before she would have kissed her until they both would have fainted due to lack of oxygen. As Bo stood directly in front of Lauren, she grabbed her shoulders and shouted, "Why can't you just stop scaring me for fuck's sake, Lauren? I love you. I love you more than anyone or anything else, but sometimes I really hate you. Just stop it, okay? Stop it!"

"Bo, I-"

Lauren was unable to even say one more word as Bo crashed her lips onto the blonde's, pulling her as close as physically possible. After a few seconds of passionate and angry kissing, however, Bo reminded herself that it was probably best to treat Lauren with kid gloves for the moment. So the succubus slackened her hold on her a little and slowed their kiss down, pouring all the love and relief she was feeling into Lauren's mouth.

Kenzi and Trick fixed their eyes firmly on the ground until Bo and Lauren finally broke apart, panting. Lauren had to hold on to the succubus, her legs shaking from all the emotions and exhaustion of the day. "You wanna sit down?" Bo asked guiltily.

"No, I'm good," Lauren answered, resting her forehead against Bo's. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"Well," Kenzi puffed and turned to Trick, "while they're having mental sex, tell me what was wrong with Hotpants? And what did you do? I mean, she was like dead, and now..."

The Blood King cleared his throat uneasily. "She wasn't at her best and simply overexerted herself. I administered some special Fae medicine to her that doesn't work as fast on humans. That's why it took so long. She still has to rest to... heal completely."

Kenzi wondered why he refused to look her in the eye. "Trust me, Bo will make sure that she'll stay in bed."

Eventually, Bo brought her focus to her best friend and the barkeeper. "Shut it, Kenzi." The succubus stuck out her tongue to her, playfully now, before she looked at Trick. "Thank you. Thank you so much, Trick."

"Please don't thank me, Bo."

Bo and Kenzi both missed the look Lauren and Trick shared as the three women left the bar to make their way home.

_"Lauren," Trick breathed, his voice sounding more helpless than Lauren had ever heard before, "you're gonna die."_

_The blonde, sitting upright on the couch by now, stared at him blankly and looked for a logical explanation for this illness to have affected her hearing. She was feeling a lot better now after being given some kind of drug.__ How could he think, let alone say then that she was going to die? "W... What?"_

_"You were obviously poisened by somebody," he croaked, __a big lump forming in his throat. "The poison is made, or rather was made, from the bile fluid of an Under Fae; a species that is now extinct.__ I have no idea who would have direct acess to such poison, but..." __He stopped talking, waiting for any kind of reaction from Lauren, who remained quiet, however, and kept looking at the dusty floor. "It's transported thru your bloodstream...and gradually erodes your organs. There is no antidote.!_

_Still no reaction._

_"I gave you something to slow the poison's progress and repress the symptoms, but once it has worn off , the poison will be totally resistant to the treatment.__ So you... you will..."_

_"Die," Lauren completed the sentence for him. "When? When will it wear off, Trick? And how much time will I have left afterwards?"_

_He didn't want to answer her questions; every piece of information seemed like another coffin nail. "It'll wear off in a couple of hours and then... You probably won't see tomorrow's sunset. I'm so sorry, Lauren."_

_"I will die," Lauren repeated calmly. "Now that my life is finally fine again, I will die."_

_Trick didn't know what to say, startling as the doctor started laughing all of a sudden. She gasped in between, "Nadia! I really shouldn't have let her in, I guess."_

_Slowly, her laughing turned into sobbing, and in the end, she was crying. The Blood King felt his own eyes welling up with tears; never had he realized how much the human had grown on him in the past five years. She didn't deserve what life was doing to her. He laid his hand on her jerking shoulder in an almost paternal gesture, trying to console her. "You want me to get Bo?"_

_"No!" She looked straight in his face, tears escaping her eyes incessantly. "Don't get her. Don't _tell_ her!"_

_"Lauren, she-"_

_"Trick, please," the doctor begged him. "The moment you tell her, she would be off running to the Ash or the Morrigan for their help.__ I know her. She would join The Light or The Dark because of me if either Lachlan or Evony made her believe they have an antidote. She wouldn't listen to me if I told her there's none. I cannot watch her enslave herself for me and then leave her alone anyway."_

_Trick knew she was right somehow, yet he still thought that Bo had a right to be told. Instead, she would maybe have to find her girlfriend lying on the floor again, only dead this time. However, it was Lauren's decision and he would do what she asked of him. _

_"When... I mean, it's cheesy, but when I'm... when I'm gone," Lauren said, "tell her I'm sorry and that I love her, okay? And tell Kenzi to look after her. I'm afraid that Bo will do something stupid."_

_He nodded silently since there was nothing else he could have done. They waited until Lauren had regained her composure, ready to face Bo and Kenzi. Trick couldn't help hugging her, before the doctor took a deep breath and they went upstairs together._


	3. Forever & Always

I'm so very sorry! I know it took me ages to upload, but there was just a lot going on in my life like school and broken bones... Anyway, I really hope that this chapter will redress you at least a little. Enjoy!

* * *

><p>Bo's naked body was glistening with a thin layer of sweat in the soft candlelight, the only light illuminating the bedroom. She was having a hard time not breaking out into tears, her throat so tight with emotion she was unable to voice a single word in that moment. In fact, the only thing the succubus was able to do was cling to the nude woman on top of her, face buried in the woman's neck.<p>

"It's okay, Bo," Lauren whispered soothingly into her lover's ear. "I've got you."

_The drive home passed mostly in silence as Kenzi had decided to put her mind on the road for once, giving the couple in the backseat some privacy. Bo had wrapped her right arm around Lauren's shoulders, holding her close, while the doctor's arm was loosely draped around Bo's waist, her chin resting against the crook of the succubus' neck. Every now and then, one of them would speak soft words of love and affection to the other._

_When they finally arrived home, Kenzi nearly crashing into the garbage bins, Lauren had to exercise all her authority to stop Bo from carrying her inside. The succubus still insisted on supporting her, though, carefully guiding her to the clubhouse's front door at a snail's pace. Given the fact that this was her last night on earth, Lauren chose not to argue with Bo about it, but rather to enjoy the sight of her beautiful face in the moonlight._

_After they had made it into the house after what seemed like an eternity, Bo asked Kenzi to take Lauren upstairs while she would look for something for Lauren to eat. The doctor __really wasn't hungry, but she kept quiet and let the girl lead her up to the master bedroom. Lauren bit back bitter tears as her eyes fell upon the bed she shared with Bo._

_"Easy, doc," Kenzi told her human companion and helped her sit down on the edge of the bed, surprising the blonde by treating her so carefully, the girl's grip firm yet gentle. _

_"Kenzi," she chuckled, "I'm not elderly."_

_"Just shut it, Hotpants, and be grateful, okay?"_

_"Uh... I'm sorry," Lauren stuttered, taken aback. "Thank you."_

_"Meh..." An awkward silence settled between them after that, reminiscent of the days when they simply didn't get along. The doctor was brooding over what she assumed she done wrong until Kenzi eventually brought herself to look at Lauren, her expression softening a little bit. "For the record, if you scare Bo and me like that ever again, I'll kill you. Got it?"_

_Lauren broke into a lopsided grin, finally realizing that this was Kenzi's typical way of saying she was glad that the blonde was alright. Her grin vanished quickly, though, as she remembered that Kenzi would be pretty pissed off at her soon enoug. At a loss for words, Lauren__ stood up and put her arms around the other human, who wasn't sure how to react at first. In the end, she __mimicked the doctor's actions and wrapped her arms around Lauren._

_"Good thing Bo didn't see that," Kenzi joked once they'd let go of one another. "She probably would hav__e suggested a threesome to celebrate the fact that we're getting along now. Or maybe she would have seen us and then wordlessly thrown us on the bed, or-"_

_"I get the picture, Kenz!" Lauren replied, shaking her head in amusement and rolling her eyes at the Russian girl before falling silent. "Kenzi, listen, can you... can you promise me something?"_

_"No, we're not gonna have a threesome someday, no matter how many buckthorn shots you buy me."_

_This time, the doctor wasn't responsive to Kenzi's gag, looking straight into her eyes instead. "Promise me that you'll never leave Bo but will stay by her side and be there for her, always. She needs you."_

_"Err..." It was evident that Kenzi was unsure of what to do or say, her mind racing. "Remember what I said about you scaring me, honey? I've got some brand-new brass knucks in my room just waiting to be tested."_

_"Kenzi," Lauren urged, "please. When I'm gone, Bo w-"_

_"Hey," Kenzi said suddenly serious, "I already gave you that promise when you returned to Lachlan before, remember? I've done a lot of 'not-so-good-things' in the past, but I've never broken a promise, and I certainly won't start with it now, you hear me? I love Bo and she can count on me till the day I die." Kenzi cleared her throat in light of this heavy talk before continuing. "But please, don't get all depressed and emo on me now just because you had one stupid, little near-death experience. You're alive, and you and Bo will live happily ever after."_

_Lauren's lips formed a sad smile. "Yeah..."_

_Ten minutes later, Bo's mouth gaped open as she entered the bedroom. All the candles on the night tables were lit, creating a cozy and romantic setting. Lauren was lying in the middle of their large-sized bed in nothing but her underwear, her arms above her head. Bo drank in the sight of her. The doctor's silky, golden hair was shimmering in the warm light, her skin so flawless and smooth, screaming to be touched. _

_"Lauren? What...?" the succubus rasped, clasping the tray she was holding as if it was the only thing keeping her from jumping Lauren's bones. "Where's Kenzi? Fuck... Am I dreaming? Have I died and gone to heaven?"_

_"Neither," Lauren answered in a low voice that sent a jolt to Bo's center. "I told Kenzi it was okay to leave me alone, to go to her own room. I had to get her out of the way to make preparations."_

_"Preparations for what?"_

_The blonde couldn't refrain from laughing softly. "Isn't that obvious?"_

_Her pulse beginning to race, Bo watched as her girlfriend's body writhed, Lauren's black lingerie a perfect complement to the maroon sheets beneath her. Bo had expected the doctor to be exhausted from today's events and go out like a light the second her back hit the mattress; apparently not. Holding up the tray, the succubus managed to say, "I brought you food..."_

_"Thank you." With a smirk on her face, Lauren gave her lover the most intense look Bo had ever received. "Come here, Bo. I frightened you so much today. Let me make it up to you."_

_Under normal circumstances, Bo would have made the blonde scream out her name in total ecstasy twice by now, but something was holding her back. "That's a really... um... _nice _thought of you,__ Lauren, but I don't think it's such a good idea. I mean, I don't want you to pass out while we're in the middle of... you know. Well, I kinda do, but because I'm _that_ awesome, and not because you're ill. And Trick said you still need to rest."_

_Lauren was aware of how hard the succubus was fighting her biology at this point, denying it what it craved the most. Bo's loving human side was trying to suppress her Fae nature for__ fear of worsening her condition by takening her until sunrise. Lauren was deeply stirred, but she didn't want her girlfriend to strive against her desires tonight. Tonight, she wanted to give Bo _everything_ she had to give - before she would leave her forever._

_"It is a good idea," Lauren assured the succubus. "Trust me, babe. I'm a doctor."_

_"Don't make me challenge your competence, Doctor Lewis." _

_Bo realized that she was treading on dangerous terrain by flirting back. Knowing she couldn't stand in the doorway forever, she slowly walked towards one side of the bed. She __tried not to stare at Lauren too much; an effort made completely in vain. She finally put the__ tray down on the night table, __carefully pushing away one of the heavy candles to make room for it._

_Lauren could now see what Bo had brought her from the kitchen. "A bottle of water, some __bunches of grapes and some... strawberries."_

_"Yeah," Bo drawled, "I figured you could use plenty of vitamins. Besides, most of the other stuff in the fridge was already growing legs."_

_From that moment, it was obvious that the succubus had shot herself in the foot with those fruits; there was no longer any doubt that she would lose this battle.__ Lauren sat up and reached for one of the strawberries that were lying in a white bowl, Bo watching her every move. The blonde was about to bring the mellow, red fruit to her mouth when Bo's hand gently grabbed her wrist. Looking up, she met Bo's now blue eyes._

_The succubus sat down on the edge of the bed, __never letting go of Lauren's wrist. For a long moment, Bo held her lover's gaze, before she leaned down and bit off the tip of the strawberry, some of its juice trickling down the blonde's slender fingers. Lauren's breathing became more and more labored as Bo took the other half of the fruit and ate it with relish. Lastly, Bo used her tongue to lick the other woman's fingers clean._

_"You have no idea what you're doing to me, Lauren," Bo panted, looking up at the doctor. "I want you so bad__."_

_"Then take me, Bo. I'm yours."_

_"Only mine," the succubus added and sealed her lips with Lauren's._

_A little later, Bo had gotten rid of all her clothes and was lying beneath Lauren, who was planting soft kisses all over the succubus' jawline and neck. Caressing her lover's shoulders with the tips of her fingers and playing with her bra straps, Bo threw her head back with a soft moan. "I always thought I'm the mistress of seduction."_

_Lauren let out a breathy laugh and gave her attention to Bo's erect nipples, sucking and licking them by turns. Gasping, the succubus arched her back as Lauren bit down ever so tenderly. Then the doctor slid a bit lower to dip her tongue into Bo's navel, making the throbbing emptiness between her lover's legs even worse. When Bo thrusted her hips up in anticipation and spread her legs wide, Lauren knew exactly what she wanted. Stroking the insides of Bo's wet thighs, the doctor whispered, "That's where you need my tongue, right? You love it when I do _that_ to you, don't you?"_

_"God, Lauren... Yes!"_

_"Say it," the blonde ordered while placing kisses on Bo's twitching abdomen. "Tell me what you want me to do."_

__Usually, Lauren wasn't so talkative during sex, but Bo really didn't mind. "Please, Lauren, go down on me!" __

__With a grin on her lips, Lauren finally buried her face between the succubus's legs, tearing a scream from Bo's throat. The blonde's nose was filled with her lover's heavy scent, her mouth with her taste. She slid her tongue up and down Bo's dripping center, flicking her clit from time to time, while Bo clutched the sheets in desperate need of relief. She was ready to beg Lauren to stop teasing her when the doctor changed tactics, entering Bo with three fingers all at once and sucking her clit into her hot mouth.__

_"Yes! Don't stop!" Bo groaned, wriggling and writhing when she could feel her orgasm coming closer and closer. "Don't stop!"_

_Lauren pushed her fingers hard into Bo until the succubus' inner walls clenched around them even harder, covering the doctor's face and hand in juices. The cry of Lauren's name from Bo's mouth carried easily and clearly into Kenzi's room. The girl, lying in bed, shook her head and pressed the pillow to her ears. "I told Trick that Bo would make sure Lauren stays in bed."_

_While Bo came back down slowly from her high slowly, Lauren lapped up the succubus' wetness and then came back up her body to stroke her lover's sweaty hair. The doctor reached for a small strawberry, brought it to her mouth and held it between her teeth. Bo watched her lazily as Lauren leaned down and grazed the succubus' lips with the tip of the sweet fruit. A rumble erupted from the blonde's chest when bit into the strwaberry and chewed it - Lauren chewing her remaining portion simultaneously - before capturing Lauren's lips in a sensual kiss, tasting a mixture of herself, Lauren and the strawberry._

_A gasp escaped Lauren's mouth as Bo rolled them over swiftly, looking at her somewhere between wolfishly and ruefully. "Forgive me, but..."_

_Before Lauren could ask, however, the succubus ripped her lover's bra up and placed heated kisses all over Lauren's heaving chest. "God, Bo!"_

_"I need you," Bo whispered against the blonde's skin, tearing Lauren's soaked panties to shreds. The succubus loved the fact that Lauren took so much pleasure in making her girlfriend happy. "I need to fuck you, Lauren."_

_Bo pressed her lips onto Lauren's, swallowing the doctor's cry as she pushed two fingers inside of her. Lauren wrapped her arms around Bo, holding on to her while she rode the succubus' fingers. She moaned loudly into Bo's mouth, unaware of Bo's turmoil, resisting her need to feed. It became even more difficult to do so when Lauren's nails broke the skin on her back._

_"Come for me, babe," the succubus ordered, adding another finger. She pressed her palm onto Lauren's clit and picked up speed. _

_For a brief moment, Lauren stopped breathing and arched her back, before she fell over the edge, shaking almost violently while her orgasm raged through her body, spilling hot juices all over Bo's hand. Eventually, she collapsed with Bo kissing her face softly._

_At this point, even Bo's succubus nature would have been satisfied, but Lauren had other ideas, far from finished.__ The moment she was able to use her limbs again, the doctor rolled them over so that she was on top once more, straddling the succubus and setting them both on fire one more time._

_"Trick must have given you some magic cure," Bo laughed huskily. "Fae viagra for women or something."_

_Lauren hushed her softly by placing a finger on the succubus' lips and suddenly, the mood changed from horny fury to something else entirely. Using her thumb to caress Bo's lips, Lauren looked into those blazing blue orbs of her girlfriend meaningfully. Never had she seen a pair of eyes more beautiful. A throaty moan left Bo's mouth as Lauren lowered her sex to rest against the succubus'._

_Bo spread her legs wide for best access, arms around her lover, while Lauren wrapped her left arm around the succubus' waist, supporting herself on the other one. From there, they held on to each other tightly and slowly began to move together in perfect unison. Bo drew the blonde in for a long, passionate kiss, trying to make Lauren feel as loved and worshiped as she was feeling right now._

_"You're so beautiful," Lauren whispered into her lover's ear. "I love you, Bo. I love you so much. You must never forget that."_

_At Lauren's soft words, Bo wasn't sure what was aching more - the area between her legs or her heart. "I love you too, Lauren. I wish I could tell you just how much I love you, how much you mean to me."_

_Bo knew that as a succubus she was supposed to enjoy the sexual act itself, without an emotional component added to it, but by comparison, none of her sexual encounters in the past had ever made her feel as good as Lauren did when they were making love. Lauren could make her her feel vulnerable and weak, yet strong and secure at the same time. Bo could break down in her arms, knowing that Lauren would catch her._

_"Take my chi, Bo," the doctor husked, receiving a terrified gasp in response. "Just some of it. It'll be okay. I won't faint or anything. Promise."_

_The pressure building mercilessly between Bo's legs clouded her judgment. She turned her head, searching for Lauren's lips. Finding them, she let go of her inner reluctance and started to feed. Slowly. Carefully. The doctor's chi flooded her heart, her flesh, her veins, her core. Nobody could ever taste better than Lauren did. Impossible. __But Lauren was human and the succubus realized that she had to stop__. _

_It was a huge effort for Bo to pull away, Lauren growling in protest. Feeling their orgasms nearing, however, they clung to each other. Eventually, Bo and Lauren fell off the edge together, both of them having one of the most intense orgasms they had ever had, moaning and trembling. But as the feeling gradually subsided, Bo still held on tight to Lauren, searching for comfort._

_"It's okay, Bo," Lauren whispered soothingly into her lover's ear. "I've got you."_

From the outside, Bo always gave the impression of being strong and tough, but Lauren had discovered long ago that the succubus was indeed very fragile. At times, when their lovemaking had been really intensive, Bo was overloaded with emotions afterwards. She would be haunted by all those ghosts from her grievous past, and then see what she had now. Friends. Family. Love. It was simply too much for one to bear.

Lauren stroked Bo's hair affectionately. "Try to relax, baby. Everything's okay."

Bo tried to concentrate on the blonde's regular breathing and the calming sound of her voice. In the end, it was Lauren's steady heartbeat that was able to comfort Bo as her own racing heartbeat could converge to it. Slowly, she opened her eyes, meeting Lauren's tender, brown ones, filled with unconditional love. "God, Lauren... I... You..."

"Shh, you don't have to say anything right now."

Soon after, Lauren was lying on her back, Bo resting her head on the doctor's right shoulder, warm blanket draped over them. Lost in thought, Bo was playing with the necklace she had given to her girlfriend. "I love you, Lauren. Please don't ever leave me."

"My heart will always be with you, Bo. No matter what happens to me."

Later that night, Lauren was watching Bo sleep, smiling at the sight of the innocent vulnerability displayed so openly on the succubus' face. Lauren wanted to wrap her arms around her girlfriend protectively and hold her close forever. But there would be no forever. There would not even be a tomorrow. She could already feel Trick's drug wearing off, her lungs starting to hurt a little. Casting one final glance at the woman she loved, Lauren closed her tear filled eyes and drifted off to spleep for the last time.


	4. Stop & Break

Finally! I finally managed to get another chapter done. I'm really sorry that it takes me so long to upload, but I'm in my final year of High School, what means that I'm totally stressed out most of the time. But I'm still a huge Lost Girl, or rather, Bo/Lauren fan and I promise you that I will finish this tale. So please, guys, stick with me! And please keep reviewing, because your reviews really encourage me!  
>Special thanks to <span>eblane<span> for helping me so much! And for... well, for simply making me smile so often;)  
>Now, enjoy this heartbreaking chapter!<p>

* * *

><p>The moment Dyson entered the Dal Riata, numerous alarm bells started ringing in his head. Apart from its owner, the Fae pub was empty and devoid of any apparent danger. The shapeshifter registered the horror in Trick's eyes, though, as the old men looked at him from behind the counter. It was only when the Blood King realized that Dyson had brought no trouble with him that he relaxed somewhat.<p>

"H... Hey, Dyson," Trick greeted him, trying to act nonchalanr while reaching for a glass to wipe. "How are things going?"

"Trick, what's wrong?" the shifter asked his friend bluntly. "You look as though you're expecting Death himself to come in the door any minute now."

Slowly approaching the bar, Dyson observed Trick freeze for the shortest of moments, one of his wavering hands clutching the glass almost violently. Little did the detective know how prescient his words were, because the deferring effect of the drug Trick had given to Lauren had very likely worn off by now. For the older Fae it was therefore just a matter of time before Bo would return to the Dal with the lifeless doctor in her arms.

"Nothing's wrong," Trick rasped with little conviction, his stomach coiling into knots at the thought of the succubus' imminent arrival. "I didn't get much sleep last night. Must be the reason I'm a bit out of it today."

During the night he had played out various possible scenarios in his mind: Lauren surviving against his better judgment, which had been his favorite; or Bo weeping bitterly over her lover's dead body and holding him responsible for Lauren's death. He had even toyed with the idea of closing down the pub and simply pretending he wasn't there when the succubus arrived.

Trick, however, never could have done this to the two women he had taken such a liking to. in fact, the only thing he probably would be able to do was tell Bo the truth and try to comfort her as best he could.

Dyson gave a soft growl, doubtlessly aware that Trick was lying to him, but also knowing that he had no right to force the old men into revealing the truth. The Blood King, who had witnessed in his lifetime far more than most ever would, was secretive and would only share what was bothering him if, and when, he decided to do so. "I see..."

"What can I do for you anyway?" Trick asked, a phony smile adorning his face. "Came for a beer?"

"Well...," the shifter began rather hesitantly, watching the old man's eyes dart to the door and back to him, "it's a bit too early to start drinking, don't you think? I'm afraid I'm here on business. Hale and I aren't making any progress in the case of 'Bone Carver' as Hale dubbed him in a burst of... let's say affection. Remember? So I was really hoping that you could help us along, because all the carvings put together look lik-"

"Trick! Trick!" both men heard an overly familiar voice yelling frantically outside the Dal. While a shiver ran down Dyson's spine, all color drained from Trick's face. "Trick!"

Not a moment later, the door flew open and Kenzi stormed in with Bo following closely behind. They both looked absolutely horrified and with good reason - Bo was carrying Lauren in her arms, and in the best case, the doctor was only unconscious. Hearing the blood rushing in his ears, Trick looked at the succubus and saw the despair in her watery eyes, wordlessly begging him for help. It hurt him deeply to already know that there was nothing he could have done for Lauren.

"Shit." Dyson walked over to his former lover, hoping to somehow be of use to her. Bo looked as if her legs would give way at any moment, but when the shifter attempted to take Lauren from her arms, the succubus pulled away from him sharply, pressing the doctor's body even tighter to her chest. "God, Bo... What happened to her?"

The genuine concern expressed in his deep voice surprised Dyson himself. No longer seeing the human doctor as a competitor for Bo's love, he had started to like her. Now he worried about her as he would any of his friends.

"I don't know," the succubus answered, never breaking eye contact with the Blood King, eventually beginning to cry. "It is my fault. I thought she was fine after whatever you gave her, Trick. I should have let her rest. Instead I... I even fed on her, before we went to sleep. And when I woke up this morning, she wouldn't... Please. Please, Trick. You have to do something. She's barely breathing."

Trick was at a loss for words as he listened to Bo blaming herself for Lauren's current condition. The succubus was already burdened by her past, holding herself responsible for so many people's deaths; believing, however, that she had killed the one she loved above all others would certainly destroy her.

As before, Trick told Bo to take Lauren downstairs, where she placed the doctor's body on the same big couch as gently as possible, before kneeling down beside it. Taking Lauren's ice-cold hand into her own, the succubus looked up at Trick expectantly as he approached them. "What are you waiting for? Help her."

His mind racing, the old man took a closer look at the human and sighed heavily. Although Lauren was still alive, there was no doubt that she was close to death. Her breathing was labored, barely there, while her skin was ashen and covered in sweat. trick knew it wouldn't be long before Lauren's body surrendered fully to the torture it had to endure.

Suddenly Lauren began to cough violently, a gush of blood erupting from her mouth. The poison was eroding her lungs.

"Oh my God," Bo whimpered, deeply shocked at the sight. She reached out, attempting to wipe away all the red stains from her lover's face, but only succeeded in smearing them further. "Lauren, come on. Stop it. It's really not funny anymore."

"Bo, I can't help her," Trick talked in a whisper, forced to fight against his own tears all of a sudden, as if he had just now realized that this was a nightmare from which he would never awaken. They were about to lose Lauren forever. At that moment, he almost hated the doctor for subjecting them to this, even though he knew it wasn't her fault. "I wanted to tell you yesterday, but she forbid me to do so. I'm so sorry."

"What are you talking about?" The succubus stared at him, unable to make sense of his words.

"Lauren was poisened," the old Fae finally confessed, averting his gaze for he couldn't bear the look in Bo's eyes and the sight of the blood which was trickling out of the corners of Lauren's mouth any longer, "most likely by Nadia, at least that's her assumption. There's no antidote, but she didn't want to tell you, because she was afraid you would do something... stupid then. I'm so sorry, Bo. So very sorry."

Bo's mouth opened and closed a few times without making a single sound. Her voice hoarse, she eventually managed to ask, "What... What are you saying?"

Dyson and Kenzi had been watching the scene from a distance, not wanting to be in the way, but at the Blood King's reply a gasp could be heard along with a noise like a faint howl. "Lauren will die... in the next few minutes."

Trick placed his hand on the succubus' shoulder, squeezing softly with the aim to convey comfort, but failed. Bo couldn't breathe, couldn't think, and felt like she had been set on fire only to be plunged immediately into ice water. She felt as though both her body and soul were trapped, desperately craving and begging for an unattainable release. Her chest ached. Pain. So much pain.

"No," the succubus sobbed, leaning forward to take Lauren's blood-smeared face into her hands. "No, don't do this to me. Please. Please!"

Dyson gave a silent sigh as Kenzi put her arms around him and pressed her face into his muscular chest. The shifter knew that his little human buddy had become fond of her best friend's girl, regardless of how much they had disliked each other in the past. What shocked him the most, however, was the misery he himself was feeling.

"Lauren, I love you!" Tears streaming down her cheeks uncontrollably, Bo pressed her lips onto the doctor's again and again. "You can't just leave me! You hear me, Lauren? You just can't do this to me! I need you!"

In desperation, Bo slapped her lover hard across the face, receiving no reaction, only sending blood drops into the air. The succubus, however, had one last idea, capturing Lauren's lips with her own and forcing chi into the lifeless human. More and more blue sparks flew between their mouths and Bo refused to stop. It had to work. She couldn't lose Lauren. A life without Lauren by her side was meaningless.

"Bo, you have to stop," Trick demanded, pulling the succubus away from her girlfriend. "Stop!"

"What are you doing?" Bo glared at him, her eyes tear-filled and blazing blue. "I need to save her!"

"You can't save her, Bo," the old Fae replied softly, before looking down at Lauren. "She's dead."

The succubus followed his gaze and her eyes fell upon her lover, whose chest was no longer moving. When Bo realized that Lauren's heart had stopped beating, her own heart broke; the one she loved unconditionally was dead. Her anguished cries and sobs echoed from the basement as Bo cradled Lauren's body possessively in her arms.


	5. Empty & Broken

Okay, guys... Truth is, I'm so very sorry for leaving you waiting for so long! But I was busy with studying - I graduated about two months ago! Anyway, I hope that you'll be able to forgive me and that you'll enjoy this all-new chapter! Reviews would be nice, so I can see if you're still interested in the story!

* * *

><p>Dyson's whiskery jaw flexed uncontrollably as he suppressed his inner wolf's urge to whine and howl in view of their grievous loss. The shifter clenched and unclenched his fists in a helpless manner, watching Trick and Kenzi fail miserably at trying to soothe Bo's obvious agony by whispering soft words of comfort to her while gently squeezing her shoulder.<p>

The succubus was lying next to Lauren on the old couch and resting her head on the dead blonde's chest, one arm draped loosely over her waist. Hot tears trickled from Bo's chocolate eyes without ceasing, bitter sobs racked her slender figure. She couldn't have cared less about what was going on around her in that moment. Lauren - her girlfriend and lover, the one her heart beat for - was gone. Bo had never felt so empty and broken before.

_"My God, you're beautiful."_

Bo had heard that exact sentence a thousand times already, from men and women alike. When Lauren had said it, however, breaking out into this cute sheepish grin and making the lame excuse she had meant it professionally, something had been different; Bo had actually cared.

_"The insatiably curious human-doctor-type." _

At this point, the brunette hadn't known whether to be amused or turned on. She had felt an attraction to the blonde doctor the very moment she had asked her to come with her, to be honest, despite being a bit distracted at the time, having just been kidnapped by some freaks.

_"You're a succubus."_

Lauren's voice had been calm and matter of fact when she had spoken these words, free of judgement and emotion, making it seem like Bo wasn't an awful monster that had cruelly killed countless men and women over the last ten years. When the doctor had stated that there was _nothing to fix _about her, the succubus had been devastated - until Lauren had told her that they could help her learn to control her nature. The blonde had given her hope; hope of living a normal life one day.

_"What about me ... right now?"_

It had been quite obvious that there'd been more going on between them than just the whole doctor-patient thing; on a physical _and_ emotional level. Bo had been way too afraid of seriously coming on to Lauren, though, not trusting herself yet to be able to keep control over her hunger.

_"Thanks for the ... um ... fun."_

Bo could have hit Dyson in the face just then, hard at that. He hadn't made any bones about the fact that he had disliked the doctor from day one, but the shapeshifter had overstepped the mark when he had completely ruined their _doctor's appointment_ by acting all alpha male and humiliating Lauren in the process. Later that night, the succubus had kicked herself later that night for letting the blonde walk away and not trying to stop her at all.

_"I don't know yet ... Just let me."_

The night they had first slept together had been one of the best nights in Bo's life, and one of the worst ones as well. Lauren had made love to her, kissing and caressing her very soul, before she had mercilessly burst the brunette's bubble, destroying with it her fantasies of rest and love, of kids and a picket fence. Bo had felt so stupid for thinking that their connection had been real as she stood in front of the teary-eyed blonde, not listening to her attempts at an explanation, instead simply throwing the _dog collar_ at her before storming.

_"I don't know how many different ways I can tell you that I'm sorry!"_

Lauren had tried in vain to contact Bo the next day - unanswered voice mails and text messages. Also, the succubus had stopped coming by the lab as well, until she had needed the doctor's help with a case. The blonde had wanted to apologize once more, but Bo had given her the brush-off. Lauren had been oblivious to the brunette's burning desire to enfold the doctor in her arms and to ask her _why_?

_"I heard you needed me ... I came."_

After her battle with Aiofe, Bo had kept her word and gone to see Lauren, who had finally been able to explain everything. Yes, The Ash had ordered her to distract the succubus, but doing so by sleeping with her hand been the doctor's decision alone as she had _really liked_ had finally forgiven her then, before she had burst _Lauren's_ bubble, revealing to her that she had chosen Dyson over her.

It was only when Bo had no idea about Dyson's whereabouts that Lauren - tired, exhausted and overworked - had come to The Dal to the help the succubus.

_"Bo, don't. You'll just make it worse."_

Knife in hand, Bo had been ready to fight tooth and nail against Lachlan, the new Ash-hole, and his brainless henchmen to stop them from taking Lauren away; she was no one's property! The doctor, however, had pleaded with her to stay out of this, knowing that the brunette would only have come to harm. after they had hauled Lauren away, leaving Bo behind in the doctor's home, the succubus had never felt so lost.

_"Besides, Bo, ... I don't wanna complicate things."_

The blonde's stay had definitely complicated things - at first. Bo had seen the hurt in Lauren's eyes after she had used Dyson's former pack mate Cayden to heal, had felt the spark in her chi whenever they'd been close. The whole situation had been torture for both of them; and for Kenzi as well, as she'd had to live in constant fear of getting fat from the blonde's amazing cooking skills.

_"I love you too."_

Hearing Lauren's soft voice say those words had prompted a wide range of emotions inside of Bo, her chest on the verge of bursting as a result. She'd never felt such blissful happiness and horrible fear at the same time. Their love for each other had been strong, standing up to the Fae rules, The Ash, Dyson and everything else; their chance of a life together, however, had been fragile.

_"It will be fine, Bo. I'm sure."_

Bo would have given anything for them to be a normal couple, living in a comfortable house - with walls! -, their property bordered by that damn picket fence; Kenzi would have occupied the attic. Lauren could have run her own medical office, whereas the brunette could have worked as a teacher or maybe as an architect. Who knew what profession she would have taken up, if she had not been forced to run away back then?

They could have gotten engaged, could have married, could have had children and could have grown old together. Boring? Yes. Cliched? Absolutely. For Bo, however, arms around her enslaved lover, it had been wishful thinking. The next day, Lauren had returned to Lachlan in the early hours, without saying goodbye.

She hadn't said goodbye this time, either.

_"I wanna be with you, and she has to know that."_

Bo had held rather mixed feelings towards Nadia from the very moment Lauren had told her about her. On the one hand, the succubus had been grateful to her for making it possible that she and the doctor even met, and had pitied her for being just another plaything of the Light Fae. On the other hand, she had been angry at her for robbing Lauren of her freedom, even if unintentionally, and had been jealous of her for once knowing how it felt to be loved by Lauren.

However, Bo had stopped feeling threatened after the blonde had knelt in front of her and kissed her fingertips, with those words on her lips. Blazing hatred had been added, though, when Nadia had pulled a gun on Lauren - the succubus certainly would have killed her if the doctor hadn't stopped her.

Well, Lauren couldn't stop her now, if Bo tried again.

Lauren was dead and Bo was broken, ready to unleash the monster inside of her.

_"You own my heart, my soul and my body, and I couldn't be happier about it."_

Snuggling up to each other in their backyard next to a fire barrel while pledging their undying love to one another - like an aggrandized scene taken from one of the corniest romance movies in history. Bo had never been happier, making an oath to herself that she wouldn't allow this perfection to be destroyed.

She had broken her oath; everything was lying in ruins.

_"You won't lose me, Bo."_

Even if Bo had always pushed it to the back of her mind, they'd both been aware of the fact that the brunette would long outlive Lauren; regardless, she had left way too soon. It wasn't fair to confront Bo with this irrecoverable loss already. It. Was. Just. Not. Fair.

_"You're so beautiful. I love you, Bo. I love you so much. You must never forget that."_

Lauren had known she would die in a couple of hours, and had decided to grant Bo the most amazing night of her life. They had kissed each other's lips, had tasted each other's skin, had set each other's flesh on fire; they had made love to each other for the very last time. At that time Bo hadn't known that Lauren would die, but she knew now thar she would never make love to anyone ever again.

_"It's okay, Bo. I've got you."_

Bo's greatest fear had always been the fear of herself, of the murdering monster she was, except when she had lain in Lauren's arms. Not even Kenzi was able to still her fears the way the blonde had been able to do by simply holding her, making her feel like a normal human being. A human being that deserved to be happy and to be loved. She'd never feel like a human being ever again.

_"My heart will always be with you, Bo. No matter what happens to me."_

Lauren had said goodbye, in her own way. If only Bo had known that her girlfriend's heart would soon stop; she would have held her until the gray of dawn, confessing her love for the blonde over and over again in tears, instead of falling asleep. It was too late for that now. It was too late for everything.

"Bo ... sweetie," Kenzi whispered, while shaking her best friend's shoulder carefully, "you gotta get up."

Again, Bo didn't show any kind of reaction, apparently lost in the dark shadows of poignant grief. Kenzi had never seen the brunette like this before and she wondered if Bo would ever fully recover. Probably not, but she couldn't stay like this forever, wrapped around Lauren's cooling, bloodstained body. "Bo, you need to let go of her."

The succubus didn't even look at the girl.

"Dyson, here you are," a happy voice with a thick British accent suddenly came from the basement stairs behind them. "I tried to call Lauren to ask her if she wanted to have brunch with me, but she didn't answer her phone. So you will have to ... " - Ciara's eyes wandered around, observing sad faces, an apathetic Bo and - "Lauren? What ... What happened?"

The following silence was absolute, almost droning in their ears, until Dyson gently pulled her against him when she reached the bottom of the stairs. "Lauren's dead," the shifter told her, scarcely audible. "She was poisoned."

"Who ... ?" Ciara breathed, and Dyson noticed the tears which flooded his girlfriend's eyes. It was no secret that Lauren and Ciara had grown quite fond of each other since the doctor regained her liberty. Looking at all those devastated faces around him, he wondered if Lauren had ever known how dearly-loved she'd been.

All of a sudden, Ciara broke away from the shifter's embrace and moves towards the couch. Staring at Lauren's bloody face, her voice was strong when she declared, "I can help her."


	6. Grief & Darkness

Bo Dennis was lost in a world of grief and darkness, the silence of it occasionally penetrated by two distant yet familiar voices. The succubus was sure they belonged to Kenzi and Trick, although it didn't really matter; she wasn't really paying attention to the words they were saying anyway. In fact, she wasn't really paying attention to much of anything at all, merely noticing that Trick eventually fell silent, whereas Kenzi started to shake her shoulder and talk about things Bo's mind simply chose to ignore.

All Bo wanted was to be left alone.

The succubus' interest was aroused for a split second, however, when as a high, clear voice suddenly resounded. Bo recognized it as Ciara's, but the second she heard the word 'brunch' she changed her focus back to the numbness slowly settling inside of her. A deafening silence hung briefly in the air before the brunette noted soft footsteps approaching and a couple more words being spoken.

"I can help her," Ciara declared. "I can help Lauren."

Those were the first words that actually registered in Bo's brain since she had lain down next to her dead lover. Blinking rapidly, the succubus tried to process them while Kenzi placed herself resolutely between the couch and Ciara. The Russian sidekick had learned the hard way what the Fae were capable of, but she highly doubted that any of them could in fact raise the dead. At least by using a method which didn't result in the revived one behaving like a mindless puppet for a few minutes or hours only to die again, the second time permanently.

"How so?" Kenzi asked, ready to turn her sorrow into fierceness and jump down Ciara's throat if she was seriously thinking about committing such an indignity against _Hotpants_. "I mean, ... she's gone."

"I know," the fairy replied firmly, immediately noticing the girl's dismissive attitude towards her and what she'd just said. "And I know how this must sound to you, believe me, but please, listen to me for a minute. You see, my mother had cyclopedical knowledge of all kinds of rituals and shared some of it with me before I left my homeland to join Stefan's pack. She once told me about this ancient blood ritu-"

"Ciara, stop! Now!" Trick cut her short abruptly, his voice entirely lacking in its usual warmth. However, his tense expression softened somewhat when he looked around and found Ciara's, Kenzi's and Dyson's eyes resting on him, obviously torn between confusion and wariness. "I ... I'm sorry. It's just that-"

"Let her finish," Bo demanded suddenly, startling everybody as they had completely forgotten about the brunette in the course of Ciara's proposal and Trick's radical refusal. Lifting her head from Lauren's chest and finally returning to the present moment, Bo fixed her puffy eyes on Ciara. "Go on."

Looking between Trick -the powerful Blood King- and Bo -the currently emotionally unstable succubus-, the fairy briefly pondered who was the bigger potential threat right now, deciding upon Bo in the end. "Well, this ritual can bring a recently deceased person back to life, not in a zombie sort of way but the person concerned would be able to think, feel, remember their whole life before their death. It'd be as if the person simply woke up from deep sleep ... Lauren would be the same as before."

"No, she wouldn't," the Blood King contradicted harshly. "I know the ritual you have in mind. Laur-"

"Do it," Bo all but commanded Ciara, disregarding Trick completely; the only thing she was interested in was the fact that Dyson's mate was able to bring Lauren back to her, back into her arms. The succubus finally relinquished her hold on the blonde and got up from the couch rather shakily, Kenzi rushing to her side to support her friend. Leaning heavily on the petite girl, Bo tried to hold on to the last shred of sanity she possessed in the hopes of being able to assist Ciara in some way. "What do you need for it? Is there anything I can do?"

When the fairy was about to answer, Trick practically shouted,"No! Such a ritual is extraordinarily dangerous not to mention illegal, and I won't allow it to be performed within my walls!"

Letting go of Kenzi and drawing herself up with newfound strength, Bo turned to face the old man for the first time since he had stopped her from forcing chi into Lauren; Trick had to summon all of his courage so as not to retreat from her. The succubus' eyes flashed a brighter blue than ever before while a strange glow surrounded her whole body; her fists clenched and pressed to her sides, Trick noticed blood beginning to trickle down her knuckles. Bo didn't look like herself anymore; she _wasn't _herself anymore but the ultrahazardous Fae he knew she really was - Ysabeau, named for her grandmother, his deceased wife. In this state, she would have been able to kill them all at once and a whole lot more.

Dyson began to snarl as he sensed Bo's aura of building rage and flexed his muscles, ready to fight, even though he had the uncomfortable feeling that he wouldn't stand a chance if the succubus actually snapped. She didn't pay the slightest bit of attention to him, however, focusing solely on Trick for he was the one standing in her way.

"Bo," Trick spoke under his breath, holding both his hands up, "I know how it feels to lose the one you love, like your heart has been ripped out of your chest, leaving you cold and empty, but you'll get over Lauren's death in time. I speak from experience, Bo, so trust me."

"Shut up! I don't care for what you're saying!" the succubus spit, her voice uncharacteristically deep and loud. "Lauren is _mine_, and you won't take from me what is mine or will _die_ trying!"

Trick didn't know how to respond, but it was probably best to remain silent anyway. The current atmosphere was heavily charged with tension; without a doubt, Ciara had been right about Bo posing the greater threat.

"Bo, hey, calm down," Kenzi eventually said, her voice as soft and calm as possible. "You're not much help to _your girl_ like this, you know."

The succubus did exactly what her Russian sidekick had hoped for: she stopped glaring at Trick and shifted her gaze to Lauren. No matter how far gone Bo was, Kenzi always knew just how to bring her back to her senses.

Speechless with shame, Bo finally got the better of her inner Fae and wondered if Lauren would have been angry and disappointed with her right now. Lauren had always thought of her as a kind, loving person; would she've changed her opinion now, after the succubus had declared the blonde her property and had threatened to kill Trick? Would Lauren detest her, even though it was Bo's love for her that motivated her actions?

The others watched the glow surrounding the brunette fade away while her eyes regained their usual brown and filled with tears. By this time, Bo, on the verge of collapsing, only wanted to crawl between the warm, silken sheets of her bed, with Lauren holding her tight and whispering sweet nothings into her ear. She finally eyed Trick again. "I'm so sorry ... "

The tension eased a little with Kenzi, Ciara, Trick and Dyson feeling a touch of relief, but only for a split second; the succubus was herself again, but still not giving up. "Please, Trick ... I ... I know I don't deserve your help, but Lauren does. She always did what the Fae demanded of her, without complaining. She endured all the disdain and mockery you confronted her with, _without complaining_! Lauren dedicated her life to the Fae! The least you can do for her now is to give her back that life!"

Even at the risk of having Bo permanently lose her self-control, Trick denied her desperate request once more, "Bo, look, I'm not doing this to punish or hurt you, or Lauren, but that ritual is a lot more complicated than Ciara has led you to believe. I mean, what Ciara told you about Lauren being able to think and feel may be true, but she would _not _be the same afterwards. There's a reason why most rituals are forbidden, and yes," - he quickly threw up his arms in a 'let-me-finish' gesture as he saw that the succubus was about to interrupt him - "I know you don't really care for the laws in _our_ world, Bo, this is something different."

"I love her," the brunette simply whispered in answer to his speech. "I _need_ her ... Trick, I'll do anything."

"I'm sorry, Bo," the old man said, taking a deep breath. "Really, I am."

The decision now seeming final, everyone expected Bo to freak out but no one expected her to fall to her knees in front of Trick with tears streaming down her face and proclaim, "I'll join The Light Fae!"

Trick frowned in confusion. "What?"

"It's what you want from me, isn't it?" Bo assumed, keeping the conversation open. "I promise you that I'll join The Light and stick to every single rule from then on, if you just let Ciara bring Lauren back to me."

Her pledge revealed to him how naive and ignorant of the Fae Bo still was; she didn't seem to realize she would have to part with Lauren and stay away from her and Kenzi as a consequence of that vow. Trick could hardly believe that the same woman who had frightened them all only moments ago was now kneeling at his feet, begging for his help like a little lost girl. Closing his eyes in a bid to find a millisecond of peace, he suddenly saw Aoife in his mind's eye.

_She was kneeling in front of him, her face contorted with pain and fury, with betrayal. "Father, you can't be serious!"_

_"I have no choice," Trick answered __hoarsely, __desperately __trying to stifle every emotion attempting to surface within him__; as The Blood King he could not permit himself the experience of sadness, pity or even paternal feelings. He looked away from her, something dying inside of the old man. "You assassinated a Dark Fae elder, and I know you never really cared for our laws, but I did, still do ... According to the law, I have to hand you over to The Dark now for ... execution."_

__"You consign your own daughter to such a fate?" __The succubus was heartbroken in view of her father's betrayal. __"You ... You're a monster."__

_"I'm sorry, Aoife. Really, I am."_

Trick opened his eyes abruptly, being faced with his daughter's daughter this time, and faced with a weighty decision once more; he could either do the right thing or the wrong thing, he could either conform to the law and lose Bo or treat the law with contempt and stick with his own flesh and blood this time. The Fae's brain was working like hell while Bo's pleas continued to torture his ears.

"All right," he finally gave in, incapable of destroying his granddaughter's life as well. Silence momentarily filled the air as they were all thunderstruck by Trick's sudden change of heart, before they all recovered from the shock and Bo's laughter resounded in the basement, interspersed with the occasional happy sob. Eventually, she fell around Trick's neck, still on her knees, almost knocking the little man over.

"Thank you so much, Trick," the brunette blubbered out. "I'll obey the law as from now, I give you my word."

"Oh, Bo, please don't. " The Blood King put on a weary smile. "Now let go of me, okay? So that I can help Ciara."

Right on cue, the fairy nodded her head in a resolute manner, ready to return Lauren from the world of the dead after all whilst Bo quickly released her hold on Trick. The succubus didn't stand back, however, asking eagerly instead, "How can _I _help?"

"You can't," Trick told her softly, the succubus' lips already about to form a vehement protest. "Bo, I know you hate to stand idly by, but it's really for the best if you just leave the work to Ciara and me."

"He's right, Bo-Bo," Kenzi agreed with her favourite barkeeper, grasping Bo's upper arms and setting the brunette on her feet toilsomely. While supporting Bo, the girl noted that her best friend was trembling all over. Taking a closer look at the succubus, Kenzi became aware of her ashen face that was blotched with a mixture of Lauren's blood and her own tears; an imprint of Lauren's pendant remained on the brunette's cheekbone earlier on when she had rested her head upon the doctor's chest. Bo's fingers were covered with dried blood from the wounds on her palms. "Why don't you, Dyson and I go upstairs? You look like you need a strong drink or two and your face needs washing as well."

"I won't get in the way," Bo promised, wearing a stoic expression, "and I won't leave Lauren alone either. If this ritual works, I wanna be present the moment she wakes up, wanna look into her eyes the moment she opens them."

Trick nodded his silent agreement, before Kenzi carefully pulled Bo away from the couch and closer to Dyson and the basement stairs. There she wouldn't hinder Ciara and Trick in their work, and if she collapsed, the shifter could catch her and sit her down on the stairs.

"Ciara, are you sure you know all the runes?" Trick checked with the fairy a few minutes later, putting three tiny different-colored phials and a shallow wooden bowl down onto a small table that was standing next to the couch. "I've got everything you need to perform the ritual here, but they're pretty much useless without the right words."

"Don't worry about that," she told him, full of confidence and unusual authority, as she put a sharp, richly adorned dagger on the table as well. "What about the blood?"

The old man paused for a moment, inspecting the small bottles arranged on the top shelf of one of his many shelves. The choice of blood was essential for the ritual; it had to be from a Fae, but not just any Fae. There were only a few Fae whose blood was qualified and able to coalesce with human blood; generally the outcome of mixing Fae blood with that of a human was disastrous.

"That should do the trick," the Blood King finally proclaimed with a weak smirk on his face to break some tension in the room maybe, pointing at a corked glass bottle. "Ciara, could you fetch it for me, please."

While Ciara reached for the bottle, Trick opened one of the phials on the table and poured its pink-colored, viscous contents into the wooden bowl. Holding the precious glass bottle in her hands, Ciara came up to the old man, watching him add black powder from the second phial to the liquid. "Trick, from what Fae does the blood come?"

"From an _Ewah_," he answered and emptied the third phial's yellow-colored, inviscid content into the bowl, creating a faint orange lotion with dark dots in it which, as incredible as it sounded, was a very important part of the ritual. "Well, I think you should take over now, Ciara."

"Alright." The fiary fairy uncorked the bottle carefully, before pouring about half the blood into the lotion. A few seconds passed as the two components suddenly mixed on their own, resulting in a clear, emerald green liquid. After considering it briefly with fascination, Ciara took the dagger, turned to Lauren and cut her shirt open with it, exposing the blonde's bare chest to everyone in the room. Immediately, Trick and Dyson averted their eyes whereas Kenzi had to stop Bo from rushing up to the blonde and covering what was for her eyes alone to see.

Not letting herself get worked up, Ciara took the bowl into her other hand and started sprinkling the dagger with the strange, sticky liquid until the sharp blade was completely coated with it.

"Bo," she said sternly, looking straight into the brunette's eyes, "I need you to trust me, okay? Lauren means a lot to me as well. She ... She's my best friend."

"What are you talking about?" the succubus demanded. For some reason, Ciara's words made her hair stand on end.

Ciara grasped the dagger's heft with both of her hands. "Promise me you won't intervene in this, no matter what."

"I ... I promise."

Nodding, the fairy turned her attention back to Lauren and started mumbling words in an old language no one but Trick could understand, holding the dagger point a few centimeter centimeters above the doctor's naked chest. A single blood drop fell off the point and hit her pale skin. Then Bo's screams resounded in the basement as Ciara raised the dagger high above her head before plunging it deep into Lauren's heart.


	7. Foolish & Reckless

**_Guys, I am so sorry! I bet you all thought I've abandoned this story, but I haven't and I never will. I promise you, I'll finish it; just please be soft on me as I'm attending university now and I've always got a mass of (little) things to do._**

**_I really hope you're still interested in the story; some recent 'reviews 'suggest you still are, what makes me really, really happy! I know it's probably rude/bold to ask you for any more reviews, but I would be so grateful! _**

**_Well, as you all wanna know what's up with Lauren I guess, I'm gonna shut up now.. Enjoy!_**

**_Ps. Thanks for the congratulations on my graduation!:D_**

* * *

><p>"Babe?" Nadia inquired softly, tapping on the double door to her lover's home office. "Babe, are you in there?"<p>

Although she'd been living with her lover for four months already, the grand and lonely hallways of The Morrigan's luxurious mansion still made Nadia feel uneasy and awkward, especially at times like this, the middle of the night. After waking up in an empty bed, alone among the cool and rumpled sheets, however, Nadia couldn't resist looking for Evony.

Trying to stifle a yawn, she was about to turn away and continue searching elsewhere as a muffled yet alluring voice reached her ears, "Come in, darling."

Evony Fleurette Marquise was always a sight to behold but Nadia was left completely breathless when her eyes found her lover inside the spacious office. The Head of the Dark Fae was sitting behind her desk wearing nothing but minimal coquettish lingerie, her mussed hair evidence of their earlier activities; Nadia was near the point of begging her lover to come back to bed and ravish her again. "God, you're so sexy."

"I know, darling," the Morrigan chuckled, smirking. "What is it?"

Nadia snapped out of her trance and squirmed in embarrassment; she hadn't intended to voice her opinion about Evony's ridiculously attractive appearance aloud. She cleared her throat before answering, "You weren't lying next to me ... I missed you."

The Morrigan's expression became almost a tender as she leaned back in her chair and looked over what was currently her fovorite toy. Lauren Lewis' ex-girlfriend might have suffered from a serious mental problem, but Evony's interest in her had been aroused the moment she discovered Nadia to be a talented photographer. Soon after, the leanan sídhe had fully claimed her as a food source and lover, growing fond of the naive little girl that had helped her break the unaligned succubus. "You're so cute, you know."

Watching Nadia blush all over, Evony got out of the chair and walked over to the other woman to plant a quick kiss on her cheek. "Go back to bed, darling. I'll be right there."

"Well," Nadia sighed, pursing her mouth with the obvious aim to get the other woman around, "at least tell me what's so important that it can't wait until tomorrow morning?"

"Business," Evony stated in a surprisingly harsh tone. Truth be told, she really liked her human pet and understood why The Ash used to keep humans around, but lately, Nadia overstepped her bounds from time to time by not obeying her orders. "Business you should stay out of."

Mentally scolding herself for such disrespectful behavior,Nadia bowed her head in submission on the spot; she couldn't stand Evony being mad at her. Little did she know that this wasn't down to love but simply to the leanan sidhe's powers; it wouldn't be long before the Morrigan drove her into madness and ultimately death. "I am sorry, _mistress_. I am sorry for bothering you in the first place."

"It's okay, darling," the Dark Fae sighed, her voice sweet enough to send shivers up and down Nadia's spine again. "I want you to go now, though, as I'm waiting for a phone call."

The human briefly wondered who would call Evony this late, a sting of jealousy making its presence known. She had the good sense, however, not to ask. Instead she put on an obedient smile and turned to leave, when a hand caught her wrist suddenly and held her in place. The next thing she felt was a pair of familiar lips tightly pressed against her own, arms wrapping around her slender figure.

After opening her mouth at the behest of a skilled and eager tongue, Nadia lost herself in her lover's delicious taste. She didn't mind losing yet another fervent fight for dominance, her fingertips busy caressing Evony's flawless skin. Expecting to be taken on the office desk, Nadia groaned in protest when the other woman suddenly pulled away.

"Go to bed," the Dark Fae ordered, relinquishing her hold on her pet. "As I said, I'll be right there."

Unable to do much else besides panting for breath and trying to ignore the throbbing between her thighs, the Nadia just nodded and set out for the door, wobbly on her legs. As she reached for the knob, Evony addressed her one last time, "I expect you to be naked when I come back to bed, darling."

A few minutes after Nadia left, the phone rang.

"Dammit, Francis, it's about time," the Morrigan hissed into the receiver. "I've got better things to spend my hours on than sitting around here."

"_I'm sorry, Morrigan,_" a man said, fear evident in his deep voice. "_The girl just didn't wanna fuckin' leave this time, going on and on to the succubus about how gettin' drunk every night wouldn't bring her the doctor back. __She only got lost when the succubus started yellin' at her._"

Evony didn't really know whether to be annoyed or impressed by Kenzi's persistence, trying to knock some sense into her best friend ever since she had turned into a walking wreck. After months of trying in vain, however, the Dark Fae figured Kenzi would throw in the towel soon enough, consigning Bo to her fate.

"Just tell me what happened," Evony snorted, rolling her eyes. "And make it short!"

"_Well, she pretty much pulled the same bullshit as always,_" Francis quickly reported. "_She came to The Dal, with the human in tow, and got as pissed as a newt in no time, fallin' over a bar stool in the process. That Light Fae wolf also had to stop her from hittin' another patron's ass up at some point, before she started clashin' with her friends, tellin' them to to 'buzz the fuck off'. They all surrendered in the end while the succubus found herself some blonde chick she went home with just now._"

The Morrigan gave a sardnonic laugh, causing her henchman to flinch at the other end of the phone. Little did she know that Francis heaved a sigh of relief then as she put down the receiver, without waiting for any response.

As she headed to the master bedroom, Evony thought about how perfectly her plan was working out. With the assistance of Nadia, she had taken away from Bo what she had treasured the most, Dr. Lauren Lewis. Still, she was marvelling at the irony of Lauren having sworn her allegiance to The Ash to be given the chance to save her ex-girlfriend's life whereas the latter had sworn her allegiance to The Morrigan to be given the chance to put an end to Lauren's.

And now the succubus was drinking, picking fights and sleeping around. Simply put, Bo was short of a complete breakdown, making her vulnerable to The Dark. It was quite amazing, in fact, how the loss of a loved one could ruin someone so strong and forceful.

It wasn't for nothing that Evony had always considered love a foolish and reckless emotion, weakening a person more in the long run than it could ever strengthen one. Love was to blame for what had happened to Lauren, to blame for the hell Bo was going through at the moment, and to blame for why Nadia would allow Evony to handcuff her to the bed tonight.

"Are you naked like I told you, darling?" the head of the Dark Fae asked sultrily as she opened the bedroom door, creating a light cone on the timber flooring for the room was completely dark. She could feel the anger surfacing within her. "You better did not disobey my order, Nadia."

"I'd never," a hoarse voice answered before the bedside lamp was switched on, revealing all of Nadia's bare self, positioned in the centre of the bed with her long legs spread wide open. "I'm yours to please. I love you, Evony."

The Morrigan's anger instantly vanished, replaced by lust and complacency. Love, what a foolish and reckless emotion it was. "Grab the handcuffs from the drawer ... and the pepper spray."

\~\~\=/~/~/

Ever since Bo had entered into a relationship with Lauren, she had been as faithful as a succubus could be and never gave a damn about the possible resulting scorn from the Fae community. Lauren would've permitted her to have sex with other people so long as Bo didn't tell her with whom or when or where, but the brunette had chosen to only kiss others on occasion in order to suck their chi.

At the very beginning, however, Bo had even felt guilty for that, always ruefully huddling up against the doctor afterwards. Eventually, Lauren had started laughing so hard at the succubus that she had been afraid for her girlfriend's sanity before Lauren had explained once for all that she didn't mind but rather adored Bo for wanting to fight her nature out of love for her.

The crazy thing was that Bo had never felt like she was fighting her nature. Each time she had faced with temptation, the brunette had simply thought about Lauren, and about how a short little sex adventure wouldn't have been worth it in a million years. Granted, she had flashed the one or other flirtatious smile towards some men and women she had felt particularly attracted to, but not once had she acted on her appetite.

The first time the succubus had slept with another woman after Lauren's _death_, she had thrown up for three hours straight the next day out of a combination of self-disgust and the huge bottle of vodka she had downed the night before. A few days later, though, she had done it again, getting tanked up and hopping into bed with the next woman that resembled the doctor.

By now, Bo was doing this most every night as it was the only thing that still made her feel alive. She was a succubus after all, relishing naked and sweaty flesh. But she knew now how absolutely phenomenal _love-making_ was, so simple sex by comparison had obtained a stale off-taste, and once she would come back down from her high, that brief moment of blissful oblivion, Bo would long for arms to hold her tight, for a voice to whisper softly into her ear; the next morning she would long for the intimacy of a lazy cuddle session with her girlfriend right before breakfast.

Lauren was gone, however, leaving Bo to feel lonelier and emptier than she ever had in her dreadful past. She hated herself for being so weak; lots of people lost their soul-mates and weren't half as miserable like she was, boozing, fucking, fighting and treating her friends badly, even Kenzi. Bo could feel the darkness devour her a little more every day.

"I'm usually not such an easy lay, believe me," the succubus' latest one-night stand, whose name was Andrea for all she knew, breathed heavily. "It's just that you strike me as someone special."

Busy licking Andrea's neck, Bo would have merely given a sarcastic laugh if she had actually paid any attention to the blonde's words. She was most certainly no one special, and the only reason Andrea was giving herself to the brunette so willingly after just meeting each other for the first time were her powers. In fact, all of Bo's sex partners in recent months had been the victims of her charm, eventually.

Andrea finally managed to shove Bo a little off of her after being trapped between one of her living room walls and the other woman's body, rasping, "I really think we should move this to the bedroom, don't you?"

"Uh-huh," Bo hummed drunkenly, even though she wouldn't have minded taking the blonde then and there.

Smiling broadly, Andrea grabbed the succubus' hands and quickly guided her to their destination, past elegant furnishings Bo failed to notice, just as she failed to notice the framed pictures of Andrea and a handsome guy hugging and kissing. She was concentrating solely on the blonde, who suddenly looked a lot less like Lauren than she had back at The Dal.

Whenever they had simply snuggled on the couch or in bed, Bo had spent ages contentedly caressing Lauren's soft and wavy hair, but Andrea's, however, was straw-like and dull, and her nose wasn't as delicate as Lauren's. Most notably, though, were her inexpressive eyes; Lauren's had held so much depth and intelligence, so much passion and love.

Then again, it didn't really matter anyway since Bo never looked into her lays' eyes during sex. The brunette couldn't even look into her own eyes anymore when she was standing in front of the mirror.

Reaching the bedroom at last, Bo wasted no time, pushing Andrea onto the mattress in a sitting position before she climbed on top of her to straddle her. Moaning with pleasure, the blonde removed the succubus' tank top in one swift motion and tossed it on the floor. She started kneading Bo's breasts through the thin fabric of her bra while attempting to kiss her at the same time, frowning when the brunette pulled back. "What ... ?"

"Nothing," Bo slurred in reply and pulsed some energy into Andrea to soothe her. Truth was, she rarely let her _victims_ kiss her, and if she did, she was only interested in their chi.

After unclasping her bra, Bo grabbed the other woman's head and pressed it against her bare chest, giving her a rather broad hint. While Andrea sucked Bo's erect peaks by turns, the succubus began to rock against her, both their centres wet and throbbing. Bo was about to get lost in the sensation, her thoughts and feelings keeping quiet for once, when Andrea suddenly turned them around and unceremoniously pushed the brunette onto the mattress.

Surprised and dizzy thanks to all the alcohol in her system, Bo didn't even realize at first that Andrea was kneeling on the bed next to her, expertly unbuttoning the succubus' jeans. Only when the piece of clothing was gone and the blonde was licking and biting her stomach, travelling south while fumbling with her panties, did Bo's intoxicated brain start 'working' again. She pushed Andrea's head away from her crotch immediately, causing the woman to frown once again.

"Take ... ," Bo rasped, sending more energy into the blonde, "Take your clothes off."

She _never_ let them taste her.

In seconds, Andrea's low-cut blouse and jeans were lying on the floor, her underwear following close behind. Watching the blonde's would-be striptease, Bo felt the succubus inside of her rising to the surface and automatically knew that her eyes were changing color. For some reason, though, even her Fae-self was no longer as spirited as before.

Andrea chuckled mischievously as Bo sat up and grabbed her around the waist, pushing the blonde onto her back. Eventually, the brunette stretched out on top of the other woman, who wrapped her arms around her immediately. Bo sneaked her hand between their sweaty bodies and entered her without any warning, evoking a cry of pleasure from the blonde. "Fuck!"

Before thrusting again inside the other woman, Bo positioned herself so that her swollen clit rammed against the back of her own hand through the totally soaked fabric of her panties.

"Oh my God," Andrea exclaimed, arching her back in delight. "Oh my ... "

Instead of replying, the succubus closed her eyes, buried her face in the blonde's neck and did what she always did in the end, cherishing the illusion that the writhing body underneath her was Lauren's, that it was Lauren's wet heat two of her digits were practically drowning in, that it was Lauren's husky voice encouraging her. And as always, tears were trying to escape her tightly closed eyes.

"Dammit, Bo!" Andrea groaned with pleasure and pain, unsure of which outweighed the other, as Bo started thrusting into her frantically. "Bo!"

"Lauren ... ," Bo whispered. "God, Lauren ... "

The succubus pulsed such a huge amount of energy into Andrea that she became her willing slave, not caring that the brunette was obviously thinking about someone else; she would say and do everything Bo wanted. Normally, Bo would have felt guilty, but not this time. She was devastated and drunk, letting herself get carried away by this fantasy.

"Lauren," the brunette sobbed, "say ... say you want me."

"I want you, Bo!" _Lauren _moaned.

"Say you need me, Lauren."

"I need you, Bo!" _Lauren_ moaned.

"Say you love me, Lauren!"

"I love you, Bo!" _Lauren_ moaned. "I love you so much!"

And Bo came undone with the doctor's name on her lips and tears on her cheeks, knowing that she would hate herself for this tomorrow morning, like every other time.

\~\~\=/~/~/

A lonesome cougar was patrolling the woods in the early morning mist, on the hunt for some unlucky prey. Finally settling its emerald green eyes on a hare, the big cat stopped dead in its tracks and crouched down noiselessly. Sharp claws extended, every single muscle tensed under its fur-coated skin, the cougar dashed forward and killed the small animal in the blink of an eye.

Once the cougar had finished feasting on the hare's stringy flesh, it set out for the nearby creek to drink some water and wash off the sticky blood from its fur. As the suns rose slowly higher, the tawny-colored cat left the creek to return to its lair; a simple rock cave, but pleasantly secluded and with two handy exits.

It was rather dark inside the cave, thanks to it's perfectly adapted eyes, however, the cougar didn't mind at all. The cat could easily spot the pair of jeans, the black silk blouse, the white undershirt and the set of matching cream underwear on the ground, a wonderful silver necklace with an elegant pendant laying on top of the bundle of neatly folded clothes.


	8. Of Monsters & Mutants

_**Hi everybody!**_

_**I promised I wouldn't abandon this story.. so here's the next chapter! It's a bit longer, but I don't think you'll mind that;) I know you're all confused about what's exactly happened between chapter 6 and 7; now comes the answer! I hope you won't be disappointed by it. Once you've finished reading, you can google "Wampus Cat" if you want to and see where I got the idea of an 'Ewah Fae' from.**_

_**Also, thank you very much for your reviews and comments! I really love them! Every time I think of this story, I think of you guys as well and I'm like "I can't leave them high and dry! I have to get another chapter done!". What I'm trying to say is that I want to finish this story for two reason: 1. For myself and my enthusiasm for Lost Girl (BoLo)! .. 2. For you and your opinions!**_

_**Well, enjoy Rebirth's latest chapter now .. and the finale episode of Lost Girl tonight! (Some things might be in a sorry state at the moment, like Karen Beattie's haircut for example, but things can always get better!)**_

* * *

><p><em>Kenzi had long considered Lauren to be cold and frigid, devious even by the time <em>_she had been reputed to have betrayed Bo. __Only when the doctor had taken refuge at the clubhouse back then, the petite Russian __had finally begun to understand her best friend's unwavering affection for her; although Lauren wasn't exactly wearing her heart on her sleeve, she was nonetheless a warm and caring person._

_One night, the blonde had opened up quite a bit to Kenzi and Bo about her past and had told them that her parents had always treated her as the favorite of their two daughters - at least up until the moment she had come out to them - and would brag about their pretty and polite little girl who was an accomplished medical student at Yale University. Patricia and Aaron Lewis had never gained knowledge of the parties their golden child would attend, getting drunk and often ending up in a dark cozy corner with 'some random chick'._

_Bo's response to these revelations from her girlfriend had wavered between amusement and irrational jealousy; she would claim Lauren multiple times later that night, though, making her forget those random encounters from her past. Kenzi, on the other hand, had practically broken into applause for 'Party Student Lauren', inquiring about her whereabouts. The doctor's answer had been simple: due to serving in Afghanistan, losing everyone she knew and cared about, and leading a rather lonely existence as a slave, she seemingly had had no choice but becoming the person she was now._

_The succubus had immediately made it clear to her lover that she was absolutely perfect the way she was, while the young goth had sworn to herself that she would never poke fun at Lauren's seriousness and diffidence again._

_And after all, __Kenzi had to admit that t__he blonde's calm and reasonable nature wasn't such a bad thing, but instead __a rather perfect complement to Bo's rash and impulsive one. When the two of them would argue, the brunette would usually start pacing and snap at Lauren who wouldn't even raise her voice in response. Bo would feel foolish then and cool down fairly quickly, ____and after ______some apologizing on both sides, they would give Kenzi another sleepless night by having tender yet steamy and vocal make-up sex. ___

___This time, however, the Russian doubted that things would go so well, watching horror-stricken as Lauren pressed Bo against one of their few intact living room walls while snarling at her ferociously. The doctor looked barely human anymore; her canine teeth had extended into fangs and her hands had mutated into claws which were now digging into the brunette's shoulders.___

___"Lauren," Bo panted, clasping her lover's wrists. "Lauren, stop!"___

___The succubus screamed with pain when Lauren plunged her razor-sharp claws so deep into her flesh that she drew blood. At the same time, the blonde released a bestial moan and her hazel eyes changed to emerald green.___

___"Cross my heart, it's nothing personal, Hotpants," Kenzi swore, about to hit the doctor across the head with a candleholder, "______but you're obviously going bonkers ... I'll stuff some great painkillers into you once you'll come around, alright? The ones I stole out of your drug cabinet ."___

___"Kenzi," Bo gasped out, causing the goth to freeze abruptly, "don't!"___

___Kenzi made no move to drop the holder, yet Bo was glad she seemed to leave it to her to bring Lauren back to her senses; as a succubus, she had other ways and means to put people out of action than by simply knocking them out. So when t______he brunette locked eyes with Lauren, she slowly started to pulse soothing energy into her while trying to ignore the pain that was shooting through her body with every breath and movement. ______"Baby, it's me. It's Bo." ___

___Only after a huge amount of energy - an amount that should've turned the blonde into puddy, actually - did Lauren let go of Bo who then clutched at her blood-covered shoulders. ______As Lauren stumbled backwards, caught somewhere between animality and rationality, ______she felt an almost pleasant tingling sensation all over her body. The doctor got her senses back soon after, though, ______staring down at her retreating claws in shock and disbelief. ___

___"Lauren," Bo almost whispered, "are you okay?"___

___Lauren's heart broke the moment she looked up at her girlfriend, and tears welled up in her eyes, now hazel again. Bo's tank top was ripped and soaked with blood, her flesh lashed and slick, but what hit Lauren the hardest was the look in her girlfriend's eyes. ______There was no fear in them, no anger, only sympathy and devotion; things the blonde knew she didn't deserve.___

___"Oh, Bo ... " In the last few days, she had hurt Bo's feelings over and over, getting mad at her for any reason or no reason at all. Now she had even caused her physical harm. "I'm so ... so sorry. Please forgive me."___

___"Shh," the succubus immediately tried to comfort her lover, drawing a sharp breath as she put her arms around her. "Lauren, everything's gonna be okay."___

___"No, it won't," Lauren sobbed. "Look what I've done to you, what I've become! Something's very wrong with me, Bo ... God, I'm so sorry for hurting you ... "___

___"I know you are," Bo replied softly. "Lauren, I promise we'll fix whatever's happening to you. Together."___

\~\~\=/~/~/

"Morning, babe," Dyson chuckled fondly as he caught sight of his girlfriend dragging herself into their new apartment's kitchen area. "Did you sleep well?"

"Like a log," Ciara replied drowsily. "You?"

Nine times out of ten, Ciara outslept the wolf-shifter, even if she went to bed earlier than him. She had already been fast asleep by the time Dyson had come home from the Dal last night and yet he still had been the first one to get up. Granted, he was sleeping rather fitfully for a couple weeks now, the slightest bit of sunlight enough to wake him.

"Good morning," the fairy breathed lovingly, giving him a little peck on the cheek before joining him at the table. "Oh Dyson, how many times have I told you not to trouble yourself on my account?"

While the shifter himself usually preferred a simple cup of fresh brewed coffee in the morning, he'd made a habit of preparing breakfast for his girlfriend, a hearty one at that, with everything she could've possibly wanted. It was a small yet significant gesture of affection from Dyson, a man of action rather than words, that Ciara really appreciated. In addition, he hoped that a full stomach would prevent the thought of brunch from crossing her mind and with it thoughts of Lauren.

In one of her few sober moments, Bo had assured her friends that she was endlessly grateful to the fairy for bringing Lauren back and that she didn't fault her for any of its consequences. Dyson knew that his mate was blaming herself anyway for turning a deaf ear to Trick's protests and warnings back then, making a cold-hearted mutant out of her closest friend instead.

"How'd it go last night?" Ciara asked, her voice a bit_ too_ casual.

Pouring them both some coffee, the shifter tried to suppress a weary sigh. He didn't want to lie to her, but he didn't want to tell her the truth either. In fact, he didn't want to talk about Bo at all anymore as it only caused him to feel helpless and frustrated, and he really hated feeling like this. By now, he had lost count of the times he had watched her booze up, yelled at Kenzi, Trick and him, and had to stop her from trying to break somebody's teeth.

"It's a good thing you didn't come along ," the shifter finally answered, taking a sip of his coffee.

Truth be told, Ciara hadn't expected any other reply, but it still pained her to hear. She set down the bread roll she'd been spreading butter on, looking like a picture of misery at once. "What have I done ... "

Dyson tilted his head to the side compassionately and reached for his girlfriend 's hand. "Ciara, for the last time, it's not your fault."

The shifter felt he was failing his mate, unable to relieve her of this self-imposed burden. He felt he was failing his friends as well. He couldn't even help Lauren anymore; his function as teacher finished when she had learned how to control her inner beast and its abilities. He could only wonder if things would ever be okay again, wishing for his punching bag to let off some steam in the meantime.

"Bo would be just as miserable if Lauren was dead, you know," Dyson sighed heavily.

"No, I don't really think she would be," Ciara disagreed with surprising vehemence. "If Lauren was dead, it would be final and definitive, and Bo could try to accept it. She would suffer ... _a lot_, yes, but she would also live in the knowledge that Lauren loved her till the very end," the fairy's voice cracked a little. "Now, Bo has to live with the fact that her soulmate is out there, alive ... She just doesn't love or care for her anymore. _That_ is so much worse, Dyson. And it's because of me."

Dyson remained silent this time, wishing for his punching bag more than ever.

\~\~\=/~/~/

_"I've been feeling restless ever since, a little more each day," Lauren tried to explain her condition during the past weeks, toying with a quill feather she found in Trick's basement. "I've been distant, I've been mean and aggressive towards Bo and Kenzi, and I knew it at the time, but ... I couldn't help it for some reason." _

_Once the doctor had stopped sobbing and calmed down enough to treat Bo's wounds, the three of them had set out for The Dal to consult Trick about her partial transformation. It was beyond any question that the ritual had something to do with it and that the Blood King was probably of more help than Ciara. In fact, he wasn't at all surprised to learn of Lauren's changes._

_"It's alright, babe," the succubus cut in anew, gently squeezing her girlfriend's shoulder from behind while ignoring the pain in her own. "You haven't been yourself, but I'd be out of it too if I'd recently risen from the dead. Neither Kenzi nor I are mad at you. Right, Kenz?"_

_Shrugging nonchalantly, the girl gave Lauren a smile. "I'm not good at holding a grudge against people__ I've gotten attached to."_

_Trick let them have their moment of love and friendship, already thinking one step ahead, however. He had figured out what was going on with Lauren in a mere five minutes, remembering his warnings no one had listened to. What was done couldn't be undone, though, and so he chose not to be angry about it; the main thing now was to adopt adequate measures. _

_"Lauren," Trick finally said, drawing their attention, "Ciara and I used the blood of an _ewah_ for the ritual. You __know what type of Fae that_ _is, don't you?"_

_"Of course," the doctor answered like a shot, back in her own element again at last. "Its origin was an ordinary woman that disguised herself in the skin of a cougar to spy on her tribe's men as they were sitting around a campfire and telling each other sacred stories. She was discovered by them, however, and the medicine man of the tribe punished her by transforming her into a creature that was half-human, half-cat."_

_"That's a nice a little story to tell kids, I'll give you that," Bo snorted, impatient and edgy as always, "but what the hell has it to do with you?"_

_"Sweetie, just let me finish," the blonde asked, taken aback by the longing look her girlfriend was giving her at that moment. "Bo ... ?"_

_A few moments later, Lauren realized that this was the first time in weeks that she had called the succubus by a pet name and with a soft tone of voice at that, and looked __bashfully at the ground. She had been a horrible girlfriend of late, snapping at Bo when she would make her breakfast in the morning, when she would try to talk and joke with her during the day, and when she would start to caress her at night. The doctor had no idea why Bo was still staying with her, not to mention why she was still as faithful to her as she possibly could._

_The doctor eventually cleared her throat, breaking the awkward tension in the room, "The woman's descendants evolved for numerous centuries and these days, an ewah is a proud species of shapeshifter Fae, able to change into a cougar."_

_In the silence that followed, Lauren and Trick shared a knowing look. She had long seen where the old man was going with this, and he could detect the fear in her hazel eyes. __The blood ritual Ciara had performed on her was illegal for a reason; the creature the fairy had made out of the blonde by the use of it had no right to live. And that moment, both of them wondered in all seriousness if it would've been better if they had just let her rest in peace._

_"Hold it, guys!" Kenzi burst out, excitement clear in her voice. "Does that mean little Miss Hotpants here's Fae now?"_

_"Yes and no," the Blood King replied, pondering how to explain it. "It's true, part of Lauren's blood is indeed Fae now, the other part is still human, though. The thing is that she's actually neither but a mutant whose entire system is exceptional. Only time will tell what abilities she exactly possesses, but at least, s__he's seemingly able to assume an animalistic form. She'll need to be taught how to really master it as far as I can gather. Dyson could help her."_

_He paused for a second, pointing at Bo's injuries. "If a shifter's beast is confined inside for too long, it'll become aggressive and try to break free in the end, attacking someone at worst."_

_"That's amazing!" the brunette exclaimed all of a sudden, facing a rather baffled Lauren. "If we make sure your cougar gets a run every once in a while, you'll be your old self again. Well, not completely, but you know what I mean." _

_Bo was overcome with joy in light of this news, already picturing the blonde as the long-living mother of her bunch of children, brimming over with chi for a hungry succubus. All the pain she suffered from Lauren's temporary death and subsequent change of personality would be worth it if she didn't have to live without Lauren for hundreds of years in return._

_That the doctor seemed to be of a different opinion quickly dampened her enthusiasm. "Bo, listen to m-"_

_"No," Bo interrupted her fiercely, "you listen to me for once. We're having problems, I know, but we're gonna sort them out. Dyson's gonna teach you how to control yourself and I'm gonna stop searching for Nadia like mad, promise. Things are gonna be as they used to, okay?" _

_For the first time in a long while, Lauren let the succubus take her hands into her own and seal her lips with a tender kiss without flinching. Bo's voice was soft when she finally continued, "And I think we should get away then, just the two of us. Maybe some place with sand. You ever seen Egypt?"_

_Thanks to Kenzi's talkative nature after several shots, Trick had heard about how things were strained between Bo and Lauren at the moment. He felt bad for them, especially for Bo as__ he knew about the greatness of her love for the doctor, but right now, it wasn't about fixing their relationship problems. Lauren's safety was the top priority._

_"It's important that Lauren gets away from The Ash and The Morrigan for now," the Blood King said. "Thank God you took my advice and maintained a low profile so far, Lauren."_

_"They have nothing to do with this," Bo snapped at him, getting upset at the mere mention of the two Fae leaders. "Just because the damn Morrigan is particularly annoying lately, doesn't mean she's got the right to interfere in any of our business."_

_Finally, Lauren pulled away from the brunette with a sigh. "Look, if The Light or The Dark get wind of me being some sort of monster, they-"_

_"Mutant," the succubus corrected her quickly. "You're not a monster."_

_"Mutants are much cooler anyway," Kenzi threw in, her fascination still strong. "You're like that super smart scientist from the X-men, Dr. Henry Philip McCoy. After a lab accident, he grows fur and fangs and claws. He calls himself 'Beast'. I'll get you an action figure of him for your next birthday. Don't worry, I won't steal it. Scout's honor."_

_"Sounds ... great," the doctor could only manage. "Thanks, Kenz."_

_"Ladies," Trick eventually grumbled, "you do not seem to understand the seriousness of all this. If Lachlan or Evony get to know what's happened to Lauren, they will set out to _kill_ her."_

_He could've sworn that Bo's eyes flashed blue for a split second before she gritted her teeth in the attempt to contain her anger. "Please be good enough to tell me why they would do that, Trick?"_

_"For fear of Lauren being an uncontrollable and superior creature that could try to overthrow them and declare herself the Fae's Queen," he explained, watching for any sign of snapping in the succubus. "Someone like Lauren poses a bigger threat than a Garuda."_

_Bo stared at him as if he had just grown two more heads and a tail, unsure of how to react. "Leaving aside the fact that I haven't the slightest idea what the hell a Garuda is, Lauren's no power-crazed freak. She'll let them be and vice versa."_

_Trick shook his head slowly. "It's not that easy, Bo."_

_Anger rising in her eyes, the succubus snarled, "No, of course it's not. It never is, because you damn Fae always have to make everything so fucking complicated. They wanna kill my girlfriend? Well, I'll hunt them down before they'll be able to lay a finger on her!"_

_Bo had never been one to react well to threats made against people she loved, and much less so after her girlfriend's death. It had taken Lauren every bit of influence over Bo to keep her from roping some Dark Fae friend of hers in to find Nadia and take her out. Moreover, the first silver-lining for their lousy situation had just been corrupted by 'Fae nonsense', something the succubus hated to the core. Small wonder that she was losing her temper._

_"Twice," Lauren suddenly said, taking Bo's face in her hands and forcing her to look into her eyes. "I've seen Egypt twice already, but I'd love to go there again with you someday. I'll bore the hell out of you by geeking out over the Great Pyramid and Great Sphinx of Giza." _

_At this, Bo smiled at the blonde, her eyes glistening. "You can geek out as much as you like ... I'll pay attention to every word leaving your mouth."_

_From then on, Lauren spent most of her time in the woods, either with Dyson or alone, to practice, avoiding Bo and the others more and more. To 'reduce the risk of being discovered', she would only come home if necessary. Since she didn't want her girlfriend to keep her company in the wilderness, however, the succubus didn't really believe her._

_Maybe she would have to live without Lauren for hundreds of years after all._

\~\~\=/~/~/

Kenzi was drugged with sleep when she made her way to the coffee machine this morning, stumbling over dirty laundry, empty wine bottles and moldy pizza boxes in the process. Once the only kitchen device she really cared about was prepared, she began making herself a bowl of lucky charms - until she discovered that the milk had long turned.

"This place is a goddamn mess," the young Russian declared in frustration, pouring the chunky milk down the sink. "Where the hell is Mumphert when you need him?"

As she stuffed the carton into the trash can, she was suddenly overcome by sadness, realizing that she even missed Lauren's exaggerated domesticity and her almost compulsive orderliness. Shortly after the blonde had moved in with Bo and Kenzi, she had taken their liquor away and had made them clean the clubhouse from top to bottom. The next day she had dragged them to the grocery store, stating that one couldn't live on junk food alone forever.

Shaking her head, Kenzi grabbed a semi-clean mug and poured herself some scalding coffee. She had only just sat down on the couch in front of the TV when Bo came in at the door, looking so awfully pale and hungover that the petite goth couldn't be mad at her for last night. The succubus seemed to feel ashamed anyway, desperately trying to avoid eye contact with her best friend.

"Morning, Kenz," Bo bid awkwardly, filling another 'clean' mug to the brim with delicious smelling coffee. "Is there anything edible left for breakfast?"

"Well, if you consider mold-infested pizza slices edible, then yes, there is," Kenzi scoffed while changing channels. "If not, I'm afraid you'll have to go hungry for the time being."

The brunette contorted her face in brief disgust before she walked over to the couch, her bloodshot eyes silently asking for her friend's permission to sit down next to her. A small smile played across her lips when Kenzi scooted over and let her slump down beside her. They remained silent for a while then, sipping their coffees and pretending to listen to today's weather report.

"I'm sorry for last night," the succubus eventually said.

Kenzi turned her head away from the TV to look at her, doing her best not to cringe at the exhaustion and depression visible on her best friend's face. Bo had been a beautiful and vigorous woman once, but now she had become a quite sad sight with bags under her eyes. And despite their excessive fast food consumption, she had grown alarmingly thin.

Although Kenzi loved all of her friends, Bo was by far the one person she cared most about in this world. It killed her to see the self-destructive behavior the brunette was displaying since Lauren had broken up with her, yet the only thing the Russian could do for her was to lend her a shoulder to cry on. She knew that Bo meant no harm when she got drunk, started a fight with someone or yelled at her friends, she simply had no idea how to handle her broken heart otherwise. "Yeah, I know, momma bear, and I forgive you."

When Kenzi snuggled up to her on the couch then, Bo locked her in her arms and had to fight a lump in her throat. She was aware of how badly she was treating her best friend lately, even though she really didn't want to. The succubus needed her more than ever now, unable to bear losing both Lauren _and _Kenzi.

"I love you, Kenz," Bo whispered brokenly. "You're my family."

"And you're mine, Bo-Bo," the girl affirmed, feeling the brunette's body start shaking. "No matter what."

Kenzi remembered the very first time Bo had cried in her arms because of Lauren, shortly after the doctor had begun to train with Dyson in the woods where it would be safe. Bo had suggested putting up a tent there for herself so that they could be together while the doctor was going through that difficult stage, but Lauren had cruelly crushed the idea. Kenzi had had no idea what to say or do that night when Bo had started to cry that Lauren didn't love her anymore but obviously hated her.

Bo had imagined that once Lauren learned how to control her cougar, she would become herself again, but in fact, she had become even more distant. She would only come home to grab a bite to eat, take a shower and change her clothes now and then; she would never stay the night or have a real conversation with Kenzi or Bo. Actually, Lauren would act like she couldn't stand to be in Bo's presence for more than a few minutes. Whenever the brunette would try to touch or to kiss her, she would back away with an angry snort.

After the tent issue, it hadn't been long before they broke up. Kenzi had found her best friend crying on the bathroom floor that day and Lauren hadn't shown up at the clubhouse again ever again.

"I should call Dyson," Bo sniffed once she had calmed down, releasing Kenzi from her arms, "and apologize to him as well ... and to Trick."

Watching the succubus get up from the couch, Kenzi didn't dare voice her thoughts about how her apologies wouldn't pay off; she would lose her self-control again soon enough.

The clubhouse might have been a mess, but it wasn't able to match the one that Bo was on the inside.

\~\~\=/~/~/

_Hoping for a hot shower to soothe her sore muscles, Lauren was just about to take her dirt-stained shirt off when Bo suddenly entered the bathroom. The blonde got annoyed the moment she noticed the seductive smile the other woman approached her with. After weeks of showing no interest in being intimate with each other on Lauren's part, the succubus was still making passes at her. _

_"Bo, I'm in a hurry," the doctor said brusquely, tensing up as Bo gently put her hands on her hips. __She was supposed to meet Dyson in less than an hour for another training unit; she had only come home to take a quick shower and change her clothes, nothing else. "What are you doing?"_

_"Three guesses," the brunette whispered before she brought their bodies close and started to kiss her girlfriend's neck . "Let's shower together."_

_Although she was pleased to see Lauren's aura flaring, Bo knew that she was nowhere near triumph. The blonde was still sexually attracted to her, but it seemed to be against her will. She would always push the succubus away in the end, stating that she had more important things to do than her. Once, Bo had been so angry and hurt at that, she had threatened to actually sleep with someone else. Lauren had just shrugged and walked off, missing the brunette's tears._

_"Stop it," Lauren moaned in a low voice, desperately fighting her arousal while her heart was hammering in her scarred chest. "Bo, I ain't joking."_

_The succubus didn't listen but started fumbling with the doctor's zipper, inhaling Lauren's new scent of wood, leaves and sweat. She could feel the blonde's resistance crumbling as she moved to finally kiss her lips. They would make love right here and now, Bo was sure, and everything would be back to normal. Lauren would look at her with tender eyes again, would sleep next to her in bed again. "I need you so bad, Lauren." _

_She nearly lost her balance as the doctor shoved her away roughly. "For fuck's sake, Bo! I said, stop it!" _

_They were now silently staring at each other, the two of them breathing heavily; Bo's eyes had turned bright blue whereas Lauren's had turned dark green. For some reason, they both knew deep inside that this situation was different from all the others before, that this was the beginning of the end. ___.__

_"Listen up, succubus," Lauren heard herself say, with a voice so hard and cruel she was scared of it, "go and find yourself some tasty little snack if you're that horny, but don't bother me with it. Now leave the bathroom so that I can get myself ready."_

_"I'm not _horny_," Bo answered defeated, her eyes changing back to their natural color. "I just wanna be with my girlfriend. That so wrong?"_

_A long silence followed. Lauren's anger finally evaporated, leaving only emptiness in its place. For the first time since she had harmed Bo, the doctor allowed her eyes to well up with tears. She wanted to put her arms around Bo, telling her that things would be okay, but she didn't believe so herself. Maybe they just needed a little break from each other?_

_"Do you still love me?" the succubus asked softly, blinking away more and more tears. "'Cause you seem not to ... Actually, you seem to hate me."_

_"I could never hate you, Bo," Lauren replied as she felt her heart slowly break. "__Look, I ... I'll meet Dyson now, but I'll come back once we're done for today and then we'll talk. Alright?"_

_"And you've got any idea when you'll be done?" Bo gave a humorless laugh as the blonde shook her head. "Well, then it's probably for the better if you don't come back at all."_

_Lauren just looked at her, looked at the beautiful woman she had hopelessly fallen in love with at first sight, wondering what had become of their plans of travelling the world together, of a marriage that would surely 'bug the hell outta these old-fashioned Fae Elders', of children with blonde hair and glowing blue eyes. Those were ridiculous plans maybe, but they once meant a lot to them both._

_"Yeah, it probably is," the doctor eventually breathed; she wouldn't turn around a single time as she left their home for good._

_A little later, Kenzi found Bo on the bathroom floor, crying._


	9. Rumors & Rain

_**Hey, guys!**_

_**I'm back again with an all-new chapter in tow. As I'm on summer break, the next chapter, which I'm sooo looking forward to write(! .. you'll know why), shouldn't take long.  
>Some people told me they were confused by the last two chapters. I hope that things are finally adding up now; if things really don't make sense to you, feel free to send me a message and ask me, I'll answer your questions ... without spoiling.<strong>_

_** bolosfriend: I'm sorry about your crushed feels, but truth is, I lurve me some drama and anxiety;) Thanks for your review!  
>lg: Thanks a lot for the praise, and I promise I'll never forget about this story!<br>sergeik: I really loved your review; thank you! I was a bit uncertain about the time gap thing and the past/present thing, but you made me finally feel like it was a good idea! Let me tell you, Lauren's still got a way of a journey ahead.  
>kev: Thank you for your comment! This is exactly what I had in mind; Lauren's kind of a jerk, but one you still feel sorry for. And yeah, Bo is really devastated; she loves Lauren with all of her heart in this story, not like TV!Bo obviously, who's gotten on my nerves in s3 ..<strong>_

_**For the record .. Nope, I'm not a big fan of Bo-Bo in the show at the moment:P ..Don't know how you guys feel about her right now.**_

_**chris: I haven't abandoned the story, don't worry!:) I was just really busy with university. Sorry and thank you for your review!**_

_**Well, enjoy!;)**_

* * *

><p>Based on their cheers, the Dal's patrons were obviously enjoying watching the blatantly inebriated brunette dancing on top of the bar. Most of them knew her well enough already, either as the only neutral Fae in recorded history, or because of all the trouble she had caused lately. Rumor had it that her human lover, the Light Fae's former chief physician, had something to do with the succubus' change of personality. Rumor also had it that the doctor had disappeared off the face of the earth.<p>

"Oh for fuck's sake, Bo," Kenzi burst out angrily, her voice almost getting lost in the din of the crowd, "you're acting like I do after I've had some of Trickster's special brew! Doesn't that make you think at all?"

The young Russian held out her hand to the brunette, looking at her expectantly, but Bo disregarded it and kept on dancing to the hooting of the people around her. Ready to join her on the bar to literally knock some sense into her best friend, Kenzi froze in place when Bo suddenly started singing along to the latest song blasting out of Trick's stereo; the succubus couldn't carry a tune when sober, and even less so when she was wasted.

"_Doctor, doctor, give me the news_," Bo belted out with a heavy slur in her voice. "_I've got a bad case of lovin' you._"

Kenzi couldn't help grimacing in vicarious embarrassment, not noticing Dyson and Hale awkwardly fighting their way through the clamorous crowd. She had invited them earlier in the day to stop by the Dal after work to join her and Bo for a beer or two. The girl had also invited Ciara, but the fairy was unfortunately working overtime this evening. Sometimes being a billionaire was hard work.

"Dammit, lil mama," Hale swore as the two detectives finally reached their human friend, grabbing her by the shoulder to turn her to face him, "didn't you say she's pulling herself back together at last?"

Though momentarily caught off guard, Kenzi was easily able to tell that neither the siren nor the shifter was pleased with what they had come upon here. While Hale gave the self-depreciating succubus a look of commiseration, Dyson stared at her with wide eyes, radiating annoyance and irritation. Bo didn't seem to care for any of it, however.

"Um, well ... she was," Kenzi eventually managed, "up until now at least."

Contrary to the Russian's expectations, Bo had supposedly realized that things needed to change after her tearful one-night stand with Andrea, or whatever her name was. She had claimed to be ready for accepting the 'end of the Bo and Lauren journey' and had stopped her self-destructive behavior from then on. So two weeks had passed now since the succubus had last gotten plastered, broken some poor guy's teeth or dragged off another Lauren look-alike. Instead she had been staying home to sip tea, eat popcorn and watch horror movies with her best friend.

Certain that Bo had turned a new leaf, Kenzi had agreed to the brunette's suggestion to hoist a brew with the others at the Dal tonight. As soon as they had arrived, though, Bo had started to hit the bottle, deaf to the goth's warnings and pleas. When Trick refused to serve her, she would simply snatch booze from under his nose; she had obviously learned a lot by watching Kenzi steal drinks in the past.

"Guys, listen," the girl declared, regaining her composure, "I really don't know why Bo-Bolicious is having a freaking relapse, but I know we gotta get her down from the bar before she falls off and breaks her neck ... or Simon Cowell comes running."

"I'll second that." Dyson rolled up his sleeves, expecting the succubus to struggle against him as she usually did in this state, then climbed rather unceremoniously on top of the bar; the proud shifter tolerated the laughter and whistling of the bar patrons, and got Bo's attention in the process.

"Heyy, Dyson!" she yelled with a stupid grin on her face and a noticeable smell of booze on her breath, before she flung her arms around his neck. "You wanna dance with me, my big bad wolfman?"

He pushed the brunette back to arm's length, his patience long gone. "Bo, do you want to do this the hard way, or the easy way?"

Putting a little more distance between the two of them, Bo frowned and gave an angry snort. She had assumed her friends would be happy for her as she had finally gotten over Lauren and would therefore allow her to have some fun tonight. On closer consideration, dancing on top of the bar was a bit too much perhaps, but the succubus only wanted to celebrate her mended heart. She certainly didn't come here to get tanked because she had found the blonde's old Yale sweatshirt under her bed today.

"I don't need Lauren," the brunette murmured to no-one in particular, shaking her head. "I'm doing just fine without her."

Dyson couldn't make out Bo's words over the music, but noticed, however, the sudden tiredness stealing its way into her eyes. She had never given in to him before but had always started 'an argument' with him when he would try to bring her drunken ass under control; now things seemed to be different. His expression softening a little, the shifter reached out to her and said, "Come on, Bo. It's enough."

"Dude, fuck off!" a coarse voice suddenly shouted. "And bitch, take your damn clothes off already!"

Searching the crowd for the voice's owner, their eyes settled on a mountain of a man sitting at a nearby table and grinning smugly at Bo. He wore a full-grain leather vest over his naked chest to show off his tattoo-covered muscularity and a pair of way too tight denim jeans. An half-empty mug of beer was on the table in front of him.

Bo was too quick-tempered and, what was more, intoxicated to simply ignore the guy; she considered him an ideal candidate for one of her infamous beatings. Fists clenched and body clad with black leather, the brunette would've looked quite intimidating if she hadn't nearly stumbled on her words as she uttered furiously, "What did you just say, asshole?"

Grinning, he just licked his lips and grabbed his crotch in response. When Dyson saw Bo's eyes flashing blue, he wanted to hold her back, but the next thing he knew, she landed on the Dal's floor with a painful thud and made a couple people roar with laughter. The shifter immediately jumped off the bar to kneel down next to her, Kenzi and Hale following suit.

"Bo, are you okay?" Kenzi asked, worried. "Talk to me, momma bear."

"I'm fine, guys," the succubus groaned as they helped her into a sitting position. "The floorboards caught me."

Obviously unable to let it go, the guy with the vest suddenly stood up from his chair and sneered, "You really suck at dancing, maybe you'd do better as a prostitute. I've heard that succubi will spread their legs for everyone and everything."

Although he had already slipped Bo's foggy mind, wild rage flared up inside of her again. While she was still struggling to her feet, however, Dyson got up without a word and went straight up to the troublemaker who braced himself for a fight, rippling his muscles. The shifter wasn't a bit impressed, his wolf was baring his teeth in anticipation if anything; Dyson was done with being patient and nice.

Just when the guy opened his mouth to deliver another verbal assault, Dyson rammed his fist right into his face, creating the sickening sound of breaking bones. A cry of pain echoed through the entire Dal as he fell to the ground and speckled it with his blood. Looking down at the squirming and whimpering man at his feet, the shifter had to will his inner beast to calm down as his instincts were telling him to beat the hell out of this guy for messing with one of his pack mates.

"You're not worth it," Dyson eventually sighed and turned his back on him, leaving it to others to take care of him.

When the shifter rejoined his friends, Kenzi punched his upper arm in an affectionate gesture and announced, "D-man, that was awesome!"

Bo, back on her feet now, although a little unsteady, engulfed him in a tight hug. It felt so good and comforting to be pressed against his chest, breathing in his familiar scent and knowing that he would always be there for her. Both he and Lauren had lost their love for the succubus, but Dyson hadn't walked out on her the way the doctor had. Truth be told, she had no doubt that she would've left him for Lauren in the end, even if he hadn't sacrificed his love for her; he was still, however, a great man.

An uneasy shiver ran down Dyson's spine as Bo dug her nails into his back through his shirt and started to breathe harder. He gently tried to break the embrace without allowing Kenzi and Hale to notice his discomfort, the brunette wouldn't let him, though. She mistook the soft grumble in the shifter's chest for encouragement and rocked her hips against his.

At this point, he forcefully shoved her away and snarled, "What the fuck are you doing, Bo?"

Holding on to the bar for support, the succubus stared at him for what seemed like an eternity while she tried to understand his adverse reaction. They had done this before after all, and she wasn't looking for love, only sex with no strings attached. She didn't need someone who would whisper sweet nothings into her ear during it, who would hold and caress her afterwards; Lauren had done these things, and it had brought her nothing but pain.

"Oh, I see," Bo purred as it finally occurred to her why he was acting this way. "Dyson, I don't mind if Ciara ... _participates._ I actually think we could have a lot of fun together."

"Just how drunk are you?" the shifter asked, his expression a mixture of disbelief and disgust.

The succubus gave a short laugh and turned her head to look at Kenzi and Hale, almost as if to plead for backup, but her smile slowly faded when their faces mirrored Dyson's. Bo knew that Kenzi had witnessed her doing a lot of 'stupid things' since they had met, but she couldn't recall a single time her best friend had looked at her like that. And with that, Bo realized just how massively she'd fucked up.

Setting her watery eyes back on Dyson, she rasped, "I'm ... I'm sorry ... Forgive me ... "

Unable to deal with the situation any longer, the succubus made a bolt for the exit, pushing everyone in her way aside. Cool night air hit her face as she stepped into the dark alley and made her feel dizzy. She managed to stumble a few meters away from the door, but finally collapsed against the brick wall. After a few seconds of silence, it became obvious that the others wouldn't follow her outside, and Bo wasn't surprised. If anything, she was glad.

Suddenly she tasted bile in her throat and only a moment later, the brunette emptied her stomach next to some trash bags. She hadn't eaten much that day, so it was mostly alcohol she brought up. Once the nausea subsided, Bo slid down the wall, deprived of all strength, and began to cry.

"What am I gonna do?" she sobbed into the dark, burying her head in her hands.

Bo was neither a stranger to misery nor to exhaustion and shame, she felt like she had reached a new low this time, however. The succubus was so tired of drinking herself into oblivion and fighting with random idiots, screwing every blonde woman in Toronto and hurting her friends with such behavior. Yet, there was this bitter agony tearing at her very insides and making her do those things time after time since Lauren had left her standing in their bathroom.

Bo still loved Lauren more than words could've ever begin to describe, but she had also come to hate her as this was all her fault, and she didn't even seem sorry about it. The doctor hadn't answered a single one of the succubus' calls or text messages, had hidden from her when she had looked for her in the woods. Ciara had been the one to collect the blonde's belongings from the clubhouse. Overnight, Lauren had faded out of Bo's life.

Bo debated whether to go back inside and talk to the others or visit the Carpe Noctem to destroy herself entirely tonight. In a moment of sudden clarity, though, she realized what she had to do: confront Lauren and force her to look at the damage she had done to the woman she had once claimed to love. Then she would be okay again for sure. The doctor could try and hide for as long as she wanted to; Bo wouldn't give up this time.

The succubus took several deep breaths and struggled to her feet before setting out for her Camaro and fishing the keys out of her pocket. Bo briefly thought about how dangerous it was to drive in her condition when she got into the vehicle. She figured she had nothing more to lose, so she turned on the engine and hit the road just as the rain started to pour.

\~\~\=/~/~/

Lauren had always liked the rain, the soothing sound of it. Even as a child, she would spend hours watching the drops race down the window, whereas her little sister would sulk because their parents told her to stay inside. Kathy had really been her polar opposite - wild and spontaneous and carefree - which made it all the more surprising to see how well they had gotten along. Lauren had actually come out to her sister long before she had told parents; Kathy had just smiled broadly and had said that she deserved no less than a supermodel with a big heart and equally big brain as her girlfriend, for she knew the prospective doctor found intelligence attractive.

Standing on the porch of an old cabin deep in the woods with a cup of tea in her hand, the blonde wondered what her little sister would have to say now. Since Kathy believed her to be dead, she would probably just gape at her and not breathe a word; a mental image that made her laugh, but would soon make her cry if she didn't repress it.

At this moment Lauren's thoughts were interrupted by a deer starting from the undergrowth and dashing across the gravel path to the cabin. The only thing she could focus on at that point was to keep her inner beast under control that had just awoken and was now begging her to hunt the animal down. Long after the deer had disappeared, she remained tense, her green glowing eyes squeezed shut.

Time was of little importance out here, so the blonde had eventually lost track of it. She was pretty sure that at least four to five months had passed since her death and resurrection, though, and she still had to fight the cougar within her. Although Dyson had assured her that a shapeshifter would ultimately become one with their animal, Lauren didn't even notice the signs of it happening yet. Maybe the problem was that she wasn't a whole-blood shifter but a genetically modified freak.

Feeling her cougar recede, Lauren finally relaxed and opened her eyes again, amazed by how her senses would sharpen whenever it tried to take over. Except for his sense of smell, not even Dyson's wolf was able to compete with the doctor's cougar senses; they had discovered this fairly quickly when the two of them had started to hunt together.

Lauren smiled at the absurdity of Dyson once being a sort of nemesis not that long ago and now being one of her closest friends. He had been downright eager to help the blonde as soon as he had heard about her difficult situation. To his great disappointment, however, they had realized a few weeks ago that he had taught her everything he knew; the rest of it, like how to fully connect with her animal, she had to learn on her own.

Dyson would still come to see her occasionally, often with Ciara in tow if their intention wasn't to let out their beasts together. It was thanks to the fairy that Lauren occupied a long-abandoned cabin furnished with all-new furniture, an ultra-modern lab, running water and electrical supply. Ciara wasn't only her best friend, she was also a kind-hearted billionaire holding herself responsible for what had happened to Lauren, meaning that Lauren could've asked anything of her. She didn't see that the blonde was already deeply grateful for having a friend in her, one she could talk to.

Lauren had broken off contact with Hale, Trick, Kenzi and Bo, but would always ask Dyson or Ciara about them, and they would tell her they were fine. Bo was still a little down, they would say, but their eyes would prove them liars, especially the fairy's. Funny how in the beginning they would try to talk her into meeting with the succubus and would now try to distract the doctor's thoughts from her altogether.

It seemed like a lifetime ago and yet like yesterday since she had last spoken to Bo, on the day of their break-up. In her mind's eye, Lauren could still see the defeat and pain in the succubus' face before she had turned around to leave their bathroom, their home, their relationship. Bo had started to call and to text her a couple of hours later, but the blonde had been too much of a coward to answer.

Two days after, Bo had shown up in person to trawl the woods and shout Lauren's name along with things like '_I'm sorry_.', '_I love you_.', _'Please come back home_.' and '_How can you do this to me for God's sake__?_'. With her animal shape on, the doctor had secretly followed her all the while till nightfall, torn between the urge to run off and the one to approach the brunette and wipe away the tears glistening on her cheeks.

Bo had eventually given up, leaving the pitch-black forest, whereupon Lauren had completely abandoned herself to her beast then, prowling around for hours. It had been the last time she'd seen the succubus. She knew that Bo was hurting, her heart broken by the woman she had admitted to imagine raising children with in certain moments of naivety; Bo was so ridiculously different from the other members of her species.

It was better this way, though, for Bo deserved a partner that wasn't a monster, and her future kids a mother they weren't afraid of. The blonde was badly informed about the succubus' condition, but no matter how devastated she might have been, she would be fine, would move on from the insatiably human doctor in time. Maybe she already had and that was why Dyson and Ciara refused to talk much about her, to spare her feelings, although Lauren had led them to believe she didn't love Bo anymore.

Unconsciously, Lauren reached for the necklace Bo had given her, fidgeting with its pendant, when a vivid flash of lightning caught her attention. Taking another sip of her now cold tea, she started to count in her head and waited for the rumbling thunder which followed after sixteen seconds. It was probably time to go inside and to bed.

About to turn around, Lauren's sensitive hearing perceived something beyond the sound of rain, wind and the rustle of leaves. A few moments passed, another bolt of lightning illumining the night sky, before she broke into cold sweat, realizing that somebody was calling her name in the distance and that this somebody was Bo.

With adrenaline pumping through her veins, the doctor almost changed into her cougar to hide somewhere, but then she remembered how dangerous the woods could be at night. On the spur of the moment, Lauren dropped the cup and dashed off towards the succubus' voice.


	10. Lightning & Thunder

_**Hi and sorry, guys! **_

**_Writing this chapter took me a lot longer than expected. I had to re-write things a bunch of times because I wanted Bolo's reunion to be special and great. I guess I also gave my amazing beta eblane a hard time with this one._**

**_sergeik: May I start off by saying that I really loved your review and your opinions! Thank you very much! I was bursting with pride when I read you think my Bo is how she should be;) Well, you really got to the heart of it; the whole situation is a huge mess, but maybe Bo and Lauren will be able clean it up.._**

**_cheekymadom:_****_ Thanks a lot for the review! Maybe drunk!Bo will make a return someday;)_**

**_Pilaqui33: Thank you for your loyalty; hope you won't be disappointed by what's yet to come:)_**

**_MaryPeace: Thanks for your review! Well, let's see if there's still a chance for their love;)_**

**_msmukamo:__ I'm sorry for making you cry and obviously keeping you on tenterhooks for so long. Hopefully, this chapter will put you out of your misery!_**

**_There were a couple 'guests'; this one's for the one with the questions: I used to love Bo, but she really pulled some shit in s3 and whether Tamsin (I find her totally annoying) nor The Wanderer will make an appearance in this story or in any of the following ones. And don't get me started on The Dawning.. To answer your questions: Trick knew that Bo only promised to join The Light because she was desperately trying to change his mind, so he never took her up on her promise. Yes, The Morrigan's intention was to break Bo and win her over to the Dark Side, but the whole thing will be fully explained soon. Nope, no one knows about Lauren's condition (except for the sunshine gang, of course)._**

**_To the rest of you guys: Thank _****_you so much for your reviews! _****_I hope this chapter will ease your heartbreak a little._**

**_Enjoy!_**

* * *

><p>The rain was pouring down by the time Bo reached the woods. Lightning and thunder broke up the peace of the night, but she was undeterred by it all, feeling a determination she hadn't felt in months. She was done being a shadow of her former self, a pitiful creature mourning a woman who didn't have the courage or decency to properly break up with her.<p>

With the Camaro parked at the side of the road, Bo turned off the engine and got out of the car, briefly marveling at the fact that she hadn't caused an accident on the way here. In the alley she had expelled most of Trick's booze that she had consumed, but the remaining alcohol in her system was still dulling her senses. Kenzi would've said she more luck than judgment tonight.

Knowing that Lauren could be anywhere in this large wooded area, the succubus wasted no time setting foot into the forest and shouting the blonde's name. Since all the trees and bushes looked the same, she paid no attention to the way she was going.

Despite the dense foliage, it wasn't long before Bo was soaked to the skin and chilled to the bone, clutching her leather jacket tightly around herself. The ground was saturated with rain causing her to slip again and again, her clothes were bespattered with mud, and after what felt like ages of searching, the brunette had shouted herself hoarse.

With every passing minute, Bo's determination subsided, a mixture of exhaustion and hopelessness taking its place. It began to dawn on her that her great idea of confronting Lauren and getting her to justify herself wasn't that great actually. The succubus had no doubt the doctor was fully aware of her presence in the forest by now. Instead of facing her, however, she had apparently decided to remain hidden. Bo was fighting a losing battle in this case for Lauren probably knew this region like the back of her hand, making it impossible to find her.

"Lauren," she rasped as loud as she could, "where the hell are you?!"

There was no response, only the constant sound of heavy rain and hard wind shaking the branches and leaves. She tried to ignore this burning sensation in her eyes she had become more than familiar with over the last few months, looking around in the dark and smothering one curse after the other. The mere thought of Lauren being maybe even close enough to witness her despair enraged the succubus until something inside her snapped.

"You're a fucking coward, Lauren!" Bo suddenly burst out, throwing up her arms. "And a fucking asshole! All I ever did was support you when you started changing. I never reproached you for making me feel unloved and left out, but you didn't care, did you? You just abandoned me and our life together! Come out and talk to me! Look me in the eye, Lauren!"

Kicking against small rocks and rotting branches, she tripped over a tree root all of a sudden and fell down on her knees. Robbed of her last bit of strength, Bo didn't try to get up but remained like this, breathing heavily. Her voice cracked when she whispered, "You owe me that much."

But again, nothing happened and the succubus let her tears fall freely in the end. She was shivering with cold, her throat raw from the rampage; her muscles were tired and her soul damaged beyond repair. In that moment Bo realized she had lost Lauren for good, already months ago in Trick's basement. _Her _Lauren, the nerdy and adorably awkward doctor, had died on the old man's couch; the one that Ciara had brought back was a completely different person.

A strange noise in front of her caught Bo's attention, her quickening heartbeat betraying her. Lifting her head, she made out the blurry outlines of a black figure a few meters away from her, and for a split second, the brunette could've sworn it was Lauren. When a flash of lightning illuminated the woods momentarily, however, she could see that it was certainly not the blonde but instead a black-eyed woman, her lips and chin smeared with a suspicious dark substance slowly being washed away by the rain.

The sight was enough to get the succubus' adrenaline flowing, instincts kicking in. Enveloped in darkness again, she kept her blazing blue eyes on the other woman's frame while she slowly reached back for the dagger in her right boot. Bo might have had no idea what type of Fae she was, but she planned on putting up one hell of a fight; it was the one thing she was still capable of next to screwing and boozing.

Every muscle in the brunette's body tensed as she watched the other woman crouch down, but when she gave a hiss, a deafening roar erupted close by, making them both cringe. It seemed to reverberate throughout the forest before it finally stopped and both Bo and the woman scanned the area for its source, eventually spotting another figure in the dark under a large nearby tree.

Briefly, the succubus thought that it was Dyson who had come to her recue as it was just his way, but she knew the shifter would've snarled. She quickly leaped up to her feet, drawing her dagger in the process and pointing it alternately at the black-eyed woman and the newcomer.

"Look," the woman suddenly addressed the shadow under the tree, startling Bo with the soft tone of her voice, "she's all yours, alright? I don't wanna cause any bad blood between us."

"Get lost, Saffron," the figure growled in response, its eyes flashing emerald green for a second. "Now."

Saffron obviously didn't need to be told twice, bowing slightly before she took to her heels as gracefully as possible. With an odd feeling in her stomach region, Bo focused her attention on the one _Saffron_ seemed to be rather afraid of, hoping for proof of the saying that the enemy of one's enemy was their friend. If only she could see the figure's face.

"I'll show you my gratitude," the brunette tried hesitantly, "if you come a little closer and reveal yourself to me, of course."

Another bolt of lightning obviated the need for Bo's persuasion, exposing a beautiful blonde. The succubus' mouth fell open, her heart hammering in her chest so hard that she felt it could burst through. She felt hot and cold at the same time, the dagger slipping from her weak grasp as her arm fell to her side and hitting the muddy ground almost soundlessly.

Her throat constricted, she finally managed to choke out, "Lauren ... "

Lauren took a deep breath before she stepped out from beneath the tree and approached Bo with heavy feet. This was definitely not how she had imagined them meeting again, but running away now would have been immature and stupid. She kept her distance, but came close enough for the brunette to really see her and not just some blurry silhouette.

She had followed Bo the entire time to keep an eye on her while trying to ignore all of her pleas, insults and the outburst. It had hurt so much that Lauren had been grateful for Saffron's sudden appearance, providing her an opportunity to channel this pain into aggression. She had already felt the beast inside her stir, Saffron had known better than to mess with her, however, the animal receding after her departure.

Now that Bo had her full attention, the blonde noted how thin the succubus had grown under her leather clothes, the bags under her puffy eyes and her sunken cheeks. A wave of guilt and shame washed over her, feeling she was to blame. She never would have thought that Bo would take it that hard, considering her to be the strongest person she had ever met.

As Lauren eventually broke the silence, her big brain failed her miserably, "Hey."

Bo just kept on staring at the cause of all her agony, a million thoughts racing through her mind. She had often wondered what she would say if the two of them ever came face to face again, making up actual conversations between them in her head. Now that it was really happening, however, she was left speechless.

Part of her wanted to take the doctor in her arms and kiss her, breathe her in like oxygen, never letting her go, but the other part of her wanted to slap her, hurt her, make her feel the same pain she had inflicted on the succubus. She couldn't distinguish love from hate anymore, desire from disgust, while Lauren just stood there all calm and clinical.

"Hey?" Bo croaked after ages of silence. "That's all you have to say? Hey?"

Lauren opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She wasn't prepared for this, not yet, a thousand ideas of what to say coming to her mind, each one progressively worse. Every fiber of the doctor's being screamed at her to run and hide, but she was frozen to the spot, waiting for Bo to say or do something as her composure slowly started to erode and emotions seeped in.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" the succubus suddenly yelled, making the blonde jump. "You made me love you, made me believe we could have a life together, with kids and a picket fence, before you broke my heart, broke _me_ for fuck's sake, by walking out on me like I was some whore you just fucked on a motel bed and acting for months as if I didn't exist! And 'hey' is really the only thing you have to say to me now? Or is there more to come? Are you gonna ask me how I am?"

Angry tears were streaming down Bo's cheeks as she paused to draw a breath, fists clenched at her sides. She didn't really know where the strength for another rant was coming from, but it felt so good to let it all out and to see the shock written all over Lauren's face, to see her displaying any emotion at all. Eyes flaring blue, the succubus gave a humorless laugh.

"Do you want me to tell you how I am?" she snorted. "Well, I drink myself into oblivion almost every night, I start fights with random people and I fuck every woman that bears even the slighted resemblance to you. I charm them so they don't get mad when I repeatedly call them by your name, you know. As you can see, I'm great. I'm fucking great, Lauren! Thanks for asking!"

Completely taken aback, Lauren could do nothing but gape at the panting brunette; this was why Dyson and Ciara refused to talk about Bo. She never would have thought that she would bring such misery upon the succubus by leaving her. The doctor had only meant to protect her, and had buried her own feelings under countless layers of ice and baser instincts until she had literally become more of an animal than a human being.

Tears threatened to flood her eyes as she recalled the nights she had cried herself to sleep, wishing for Bo to be lying next to her and holding her, the days she had fought the urge to go back and ask for Bo's forgiveness. She had always known of the damage she had done to Bo, to herself, and to _them_, but only now did she really understand the extent of it. The ice started to melt away, slowly laying bare all the pain that was mirrored in the brunette's eyes.

"Say something, Lauren!" Bo snapped, the doctor's passiveness driving her crazy. "I beg you!"

The heavy rain almost drowned the blonde's voice when she answered softly, "What do you want to hear from me, Bo?"

There were a lot of things Lauren wanted to say of her own accord, but she couldn't think of a way to say them. No words seemed good enough to express her sorrow and regret, or to make her reasons for leaving sound at least a little comprehensible to Bo. Whatever she would have said now, it no longer mattered; she had broken them both.

The succubus closed her eyes in frustration, swallowing hard. She had always known how reserved Lauren could be in certain situations, but she had never seen her this apathetic before. Bo hadn't expected Lauren to vent her emotions after months of being apart as she did, she had expected her to apologize and to explain why she went away without looking back, however. _H__er _Lauren was indeed long gone.

When Bo opened her eyes again, they had reverted to their natural color, giving Lauren the most vulnerable look she had ever seen. "I wanna hear what I've been waiting for you to say ever since you started changing."

It was a sentence,_ one_ sentence she wanted to hear from the blonde. It was a sentence that would smash the last piece of her heart that had remained through it all, but it was also a sentence that would draw the final line under their relationship the brunette so desperately needed. Afterwards she would either be able to move on, or she would lose herself to the darkness forever.

"Tell me you don't love me anymore," Bo asked, trembling all over. "But I want you to look into my eyes when you do. And then you'll never have to see me again."

Lauren felt like a sledgehammer had hit her, knocking the wind out of her. Bo's voice was laced in anguish and defeat, and the doctor tried to think of something that would fix this, fix them, but her mind wouldn't come up with anything useful. She was just as devastated as the succubus by this mess that used to be their love, yet she found herself unable to give it its quietus.

"I won't tell you that, Bo," she rasped with a shake of her head. "I'm sorry."

Gritting her teeth, the brunette demanded, "Why not?"

She couldn't believe that Lauren was cruel enough to deny her this last request. After everything the doctor had put her through over the last months, it was the least she could do for her. Choking on her tears, Bo felt the urge to grab and shake the blonde while yelling at her how much she wished they had never met. "Answer me, dammit!"

"Because I'd be lying if I did!" Lauren suddenly shouted back, unwilling to take it anymore. "I loved you from the second we met, Bo, and I never stopped! I can only imagine how stupid this must sound to you, but it's true! There's no day, no _moment _going by where I don't think about you, that I don't bitterly regret losing the best thing that ever happened to me!" - her voice finally softened - "What I'm trying to say is that I still love you ... I love you so much, Bo."

"Liar," the succubus sobbed heart-wrenchingly. "If so, you wouldn't have treated me the way you did. You made me cry so damn often, and you didn't give a shit."

Bo never forgot the times Lauren bit her head off for trying to talk to her, let alone trying to touch her, or the times the blonde would be gone for hours and show no sign of life, leaving the brunette worried. And she would never forget when Lauren had walked away without a fight, without thinking twice. Bo had broken down on the bathroom floor then, weeping until Kenzi found her there.

"That's not true," the doctor argued as a tear ran down her cheek that mixed with the rain on her face. "Nothing was, _is _more important to me than you. That's why I had to leave. I was scared of losing control over myself and harming you again, which is why I tried to stay away from you. The problem was that you wanted to be there for me, so I _pushed_ you away."

Watching Bo's face, it was obvious to Lauren that her words weren't making much sense to the brunette. Nevertheless, the doctor made an effort to sort her thoughts and continued, "I didn't mean to hurt you. I wanted to lock you in my arms and tell you about everything going on inside me, but I just couldn't. Instead, I distanced myself from you, and the more I did, the more you would try to help me and be with me ... It was like a downward spiral we couldn't escape. And then we stood face to face in our bathroom, and when you said that it was probably for the better if I didn't come back, I could only think about how right you were."

Lauren waited for any kind of reaction, but the succubus remained silent, simply frowning at her. She knew that this poor attempt at an explanation wouldn't be able to mend their situation, but it was the only thing she could offer right now.

Lightning flashed, followed by ear-splitting thunder when Bo moved all of a sudden, approaching Lauren at a brisk pace. The blonde prepared herself for a slap in the face and squeezed her eyes shut, however, before she knew what was happening, she was being grabbed and pulled flush against the succubus' body, feeling her lips on her own.

Overwhelmed with emotion, Bo could feel her instincts taking over as she kissed the blonde hard, not intimidated by Lauren's initial reluctance for it grew weaker by the second while her aura intensified. When the doctor tried to say something, the brunette just took the opportunity to slide her tongue into her mouth, both of them moaning with pleasure, right before Lauren eventually gave in and put her arms around Bo.

The blonde was aware of the danger this moment entailed, however, her mind went blank as their tongues engaged in an old familiar dance. She could taste alcohol, the salt of Bo's tears and other things that she didn't really want to name, but she could also taste the pure essence of the woman she loved. Clutching at her jacket, Lauren drew the succubus as close as physically possible.

Bo had forgotten what happiness felt like over the last months, but now that she was caressing the hot velvet of Lauren's mouth again, she finally remembered. Tears of joy escaped her shut lids as she nipped at the doctor's bottom lip, reclaiming her mate. She moved her kisses down to Lauren's neck to lick every inch of skin that savored of rain and sweat and wood.

Breathing heavily, Lauren put her head back to grant the succubus better access. When Bo bit down near the scar on her chest, however, she sensed the animal deep inside of her rising all of a sudden; it was what the blonde had been terrified of. She immediately grabbed the brunette's shoulders and tried to shove her off, but Bo held on to her for dear life, grasping the drenched fabric of her blouse.

"No," the succubus panted into the other woman's ear, "not this time."

Bo knew that if Lauren walked away from her now, she wouldn't get through the night. She had Kenzi, her _sister_ by choice if not by blood, Dyson, steadfast friend and confidant, Trick, tutor and father figure, Hale and Ciara, but life just wasn't worth living without Lauren by her side, her heart and soul, her other half.

"Please, Bo," the blonde begged helplessly, the beast lurking beneath the surface and assessing the situation. "You don't understa-"

The succubus hushed her, over and over, till Lauren ultimately admitted defeat by falling silent. As Bo would neither listen nor let go, she pressed the brunette close again and concentrated on keeping the upper hand over her cougar. The doctor had to summon all her strength to get it to back down, an involuntary grumble coming from inside her chest.

After what seemed like ages, her inner animal abandoned the field at last, allowing her muscles to relax and her eyes to return to normal. Relief flooded the blonde's body as at least for now the beast appeared to be under control. Fortunately, Bo had buried her face in the crook of the doctor's neck so she hadn't been able to see her eyes change color.

They stayed in each other's arms, keeping silent for fear of ruining this moment with meaningless words. Bo heard her heart pound in her ears while feeling Lauren's equally erratic heartbeat against her lips as they grazed the blonde's carotid artery. She couldn't help but smile wistfully when their heartbeats slowed and synchronized with one another as they often had after lovemaking.

"Bo, you're like ice," Lauren finally noted in a concerned tone. "We have to get you out of the rain and these wet clothes to prevent you from hypothermia."

Her modified genes made the doctor impervious to cold, but Bo was still sensitive to it. She was out here in the rain in the middle of the night for hours now, shaking uncontrollably by this time. Lauren felt guilty for not thinking about it, for letting the brunette run and stand around in the elements for so long.

The succubus chuckled at Lauren's doctor side taking command, reminding her of happier times. "If you really wanna get me outta my clothes, just keep up the geek speak."

Lauren was too worried to show any interest in the succubus' innuendo. "I'm serious, Bo. I'll take you home."

Bo instantly tightened her hold on the blonde, afraid that she would bring her to the clubhouse and then disappear again. She had no idea where to go from here, but she knew she wouldn't let them be separated now since they were so obviously far from over. There were many things that had yet to be talked about, but their love was still burning like a raging fire.

"My cabin is close to here," the doctor declared, ready to head off. "You can take a shower there and borrow some dry clothes from me."

While Lauren rubbed Bo's back for warmth, she felt the brunette slowly relax once more, wondering why she had tensed up in the first place. It occurred to the doctor that maybe she had thought she would simply drop her off at the clubhouse and leave it to Kenzi to look after her, abandoning the succubus yet again. Holding her in her arms now after months of being apart, however, made Lauren realize that she wasn't able to do that again.

Later, neither of them would be able to tell how long it took them to reach Lauren's cabin. It really wasn't far away, but the ground was slippery, and what was more, Bo wouldn't stop clinging to Lauren as if her life depended on it, making it difficult for them to move forward. Again and again, she would cup the blonde's cheek with one hand to bring their faces together and seal their lips in a passionate kiss, which Lauren would eagerly return, _until_ things would become so heated that her inner animal would stir and she had to break away, urging them onward.

When they finally stumbled through the cabin's front door, the thunderstorm had moved on, leaving only the patter of heavy rain in its wake. Paying no mind to the wet and muddy trail they were leaving on the floor, Lauren aimed straight for the bathroom, where she managed to sit Bo down on the toilet lid after a bit persuasion; now that she was indeed in the blonde's new home, the succubus slowly began to release her fears of Lauren deserting her again.

"I'll pick out some clothes for you while you take a shower," the doctor told her, rubbing her neck somewhat nervously. "You ... you can put your own in the washing machine. Oh, and the towels are clean by the way."

Lauren couldn't recall another moment where she had felt so many emotions at once, but besides that, she was still flushed and aroused from before, and the thought of a naked Bo under a jet of hot water wasn't helping. Clearing her throat awkwardly, she turned to leave the room as the succubus caught her wrist, silently requesting the blonde to face her once more.

"What about you?" Bo asked with a shaky voice. "You're wet through as well, Lauren."

The doctor gave a soft smile as she replied, "Don't worry, I'm fine."

Bo surrendered and lost her hold in the end, yet Lauren couldn't bring herself to go since the brunette was looking at her like a puppy that had just been kicked by its beloved owner; with big, vulnerable and pleading eyes. Wanting to comfort her somehow, she wordlessly kneeled down in front of Bo to take her mud-caked boots off and toss them into a corner. Afterwards, Lauren straightened her back to place a chaste kiss on her lips before she rose and pulled the succubus with her.

She helped Bo shrug off her soggy leather jacket, then removed her shirt in a swift motion, the doctor's eyes falling upon the brunette's bra-clad breasts. With an ache between her legs, Lauren allowed Bo to unbutton her blouse, and soon the fabric hit the floor. The succubus looked at the blonde's chest, but it wasn't the scar that attracted her attention.

"Lauren," she breathed, reaching out her hand for the well-known piece of jewelry around the doctor's neck, "you're still wearing it."

Although she could have simply used her powers of persuasion on the jeweler, Bo had saved up money instead from their investigation assignments for a good while to be able to afford the necklace, because her love for Lauren was true and honest; she wanted the gift to be true and honest at its source as well. When she had told Kenzi that at the time, the girl had teased her that in this case, the best move would be to start saving up now for an engagement ring so she could pop the question in about fifteen years or so.

"Of course I am, Bo," Lauren answered as she gently cupped the brunette's face in both her hands, their eyes meeting. "I always will."

The next thing they knew, they were embracing in the shower stall while hot water ran down their naked bodies. Arms wrapped around the succubus' neck, Lauren drew her in for a deep kiss, stoking the fire in their cores. Bo tried to fight the urge to rock her hips wildly against the blonde's and just enjoy the moment.

She had given up hope of ever being with Lauren like this a long time ago, yet it was actually happening, with their bare curves snuggled into each other, surrounded by steam like countless times back when they had been happy. It felt so amazingly good to caress the doctor's skin again and to have that favor returned, giving and receiving a love Bo had believed to be dead. And despite the fact that they hadn't been this intimate since forever, their bodies seemed to remember one another as if the last time had been yesterday, communicating, knowing every particularly sensitive spot.

"I missed you so much, Lauren," the brunette whispered as she stroked the doctor's back with her fingertips. "I'm so hollow without you."

"I'm here now," Lauren replied softly.

The blonde then lowered her head to suck Bo's neck, earning a moan of encouragement. As her ministration became more and more intense, Bo threw back her own head to provide optimal access, loving the thought that the doctor was marking her this way. No matter what, she belonged to Lauren _and _Lauren to her; that's just how it was and always would be, like a law of nature.

As the water ran cold, Lauren wrapped the succubus' legs around her waist and carried her to the bedroom, not giving a damn about drying themselves. She knew full well that _this _was a mistake for they were in desperate need of a talk after everything that had happened between them, but the doctor's body clearly had other needs to be met. Kissing and touching and feeling Bo again made her toss all reason overboard, a lucky chance for her cougar.

Bo's eyes were blazing with ice-blue desire when the blonde gently laid her down on the queen-sized bed and climbed on top of her, engaging her in another searing kiss. Their legs intertwined, the two of them began to rock against each other in a steady rhythm, the brunette's slick center gliding up and down Lauren's thigh and vice versa. Lauren gave a loud groan that was like music to Bo's ears as she raked her nails across the doctor's wet and sweaty shoulders.

"Fuck," the succubus panted, grasping her lover's bottom cheeks for harder thrusts, "Lauren!"

The pressure between her legs building up, Lauren's movements became more and more erratic while all her senses sharpened. She could smell every nuance of Bo's damp arousal, could taste bile and Trick's best vodka on her tongue. She could see Bo's rapt face like it was broad daylight, could feel the tiniest imperfection of her skin. She could hear raindrops hitting the glass of the bedroom windows like a hail of bullets.

Too late, Lauren realized that her beast wasn't only awake but clawing at her insides. The blonde made desperate efforts to break away from Bo, but she was bucking her hips more wildly, slamming their bodies so hard together the bed's headboard banged into the wall. Peeking at her hands clenching the sheets next to the brunette's head, she saw them starting to shift, right before she felt her teeth extending and her eyes changing. She was losing control. She would hurt Bo.

Her orgasm approaching at a rapid pace, Bo was in heaven and didn't notice the distress the doctor was in. She squeezed her eyes shut as she felt a tingly sensation running from her spine down to her toes, her breathing ragged. And then she came, arching her back with Lauren's name on her lips when her inner walls convulsed again and again and again; it was enough to drive the blonde over the edge as well, finally succumbing to her cougar.

An untamed roar caused the animals in the immediate vicinity to start up from their hideouts.


End file.
